Do keyboards, mouse, and a 144hz monitor really make a difference in FPS gaming?

[Toon]

Alright, so my friends keep pressuring me on buying a gaming mechanical keyboard, mouse, and 144hz monitor for FPS gaming (I play things such as Battlefield, CS:GO, h1z1, etc). I just use the default keyboard and mouse that comes with most pre-built computers from Asus and find it just fine and use a TV monitor (60hz) as I personally don't need anything special and rather just save money, but they keep telling me things like "The delay on your mouse, keyboard, and monitor is what makes you lose a lot! If you get gaming things it'll make you way better and more of a winning chance!", so I decided to come here and ask whether or not this is true, thanks.

[tp95112]

Monitor definitly yes. mouse not really. Keyboard, hit your friend over the head with it.

[ShadowCaptain]

Keyboard no

Mouse 10000000000% definately

Screen - helps to use a proper monitor

[ARikozuM]

Yes, as long as you can use them. Same thing happens in sports. You can upgrade your racket, but if your technique sucks... your racket isn't going to change anything. 

 

Personally, I've got friends who will destroy me and any KB/M users with just a simple 360 controller. Give them an Xbox Elite and our chances go way down. 

[Sauron]

They make a difference, but they won't magically turn you into a pro. If you were seriously hindered by your hardware you'd know it.

[Zyndo]

6 minutes ago, Toon said:

Snip

Honestly it depends at what level you're trying to play it at. for some people your setup is fine. for some hardcore players and people who are quite skilled.... it would be horrible to play on your setup and they couldn't compete at the level they're used to.

 

a change from a tv to a 144hz monitor would be huge. a mouse with better/more reliable tracking and perhaps a faster poll rate would be huge. mechanical keyboard is nice to use, and a board with switches which have lower actuation distances can help with reaction times as well, but its not as big a deal in this area as most people would make it out to be. Mech keyboards are just more satisfying to use IMO

[Scruffy90]

Keyboard - no. I play a few shooters with the membrane of kb of my laptop and at times the mechanical keyboard (MX blues) on my desktop, see no difference between the two.

Mouse - no. I only have a gaming mouse because I use the macros for work and to map certain things like melee and grenades and stuff to my thumb (this is doable on normal mice with extra buttons as well)

Monitor- depends. I prefer a monitor with as little input lag as possible since I predominately play fighting games and having less then a frame of input lag is insanely helpful, but a lot of folks prefer high refresh rate monitors to prevent as much ghosting as possible(don't have hands on exp with high refresh and fps though).

[Toon]

Alright, thank you everyone! I may get a mouse as people seem to be recommending it! Though I did check this out and it seems quite nice:

https://shop.tesorotec.com/collections/mechanical-gaming-keyboard/products/copy-of-tesoro-excalibur-spectrum-rgb-mechanical-gaming-keyboard?variant=23885834310

 

May get that and maybe a monitor in the future if I ever really need it.

 

[Dackzy]

a 144Hz screen won't make you go from shit to good or even decent, you might see a small increase in your score, but that is it. It looks nice though.

A more precise mouse can make a fairly "big" difference, but only if your skill is there and only if you go from a very very bad wireless that has a lot of acceleration and a lot of input lag to something like the EC1-A.

 

Keyboard eh, just use what you think feels nice and TBH that is also what I would say when it comes to a mouse, it is very important to just get something that feels nice in your hand.

 

I cannot stretch this enough, upgrading these things won't make you a pro, you may or may not see an increase in your score, but it will be minimal, you can have the best gear ever made and still be shit.

[Toon]

3 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

a 144Hz screen won't make you go from shit to good or even decent, you might see a small increase in your score, but that is it. It looks nice though.

A more precise mouse can make a fairly "big" difference, but only if your skill is there and only if you go from a very very bad wireless that has a lot of acceleration and a lot of input lag to something like the EC1-A.

 

Keyboard eh, just use what you think feels nice and TBH that is also what I would say when it comes to a mouse, it is very important to just get something that feels nice in your hand.

 

I cannot stretch this enough, upgrading these things won't make you a pro, you may or may not see an increase in your score, but it will be minimal, you can have the best gear ever made and still be shit.

I am not looking to go pro, I am just asking if it's worth it as people keep telling me it is.

[Spuriae]

Depends, though the delay is irrelevant. Upgrading a keyboard for gaming alone doesn't make much sense unless something's wrong with your keyboard. Typing on a nice keyboard is nice, and having an RGB keyboard makes you look cool. Or something. I have a collection of mechanical keyboards for typing but I'm perfectly happy gaming on a membrane; only thing you miss out on is the ability to jitter a bit better on linear and quiet tactile switches if you're familiar with the actuation points.

 

For the mouse start by lowering your DPI; at the point when you start moving fast enough for the sensor to fail (assuming you have a cheap mouse now) you'll need to upgrade. Higher end mouse sensors do indeed have fewer sensor errors and track more accurately to an extent that's noticeable in low sensitivity play. Problem is that most people use the mouse wrong and play at high sensitivities. It feels more comfortable initially to use the mouse that way, but it's bad for your hand health and bad for accuracy as well. There's a very good correlation for better play and lower sensitivities, and lower sensitivities require better mice. Beyond a decent gaming sensor like the A3050 or PMW3320 though, you stop worrying about spinout (sensor failure when you move too quickly) and are upgrading accuracy alone, and you get diminishing returns pretty quickly. But definitely get a mouse with a decent enough sensor to avoid spinout - if you're using the mouse at proper sensitivities you should be able to make a basic office sensor fail while doing simple web browsing. Plenty of cheap Chinese mice that fit into this "good enough" category.

 

For monitors it depends on your playstyle. If you're spraying, 144 looks better but isn't necessary. If you're working with single shots and are playing at a reasonable level though 60hz won't be fast enough since targets can move more than a body length between screen refreshes.

 

I'd recommend lowering your DPI to something reasonable and playing with your current mouse; at some point you'll notice the mouse not being able to keep up with your movement. It'll let you appreciate the upgrade a lot more. As your accuracy improves decide from there if upgrading the monitor or mouse further is worth it to you.

[Dackzy]

3 minutes ago, Toon said:

I am not looking to go pro, I am just asking if it's worth it as people keep telling me it is.

eh. 144 will look better, you know that smoothness, but only you can say if it is worth it or not, for mouse, I would say yes, but only to the degree where you find a mouse you really like the feel of.

 

TBH don't go out and buy a mouse without trying it, it needs to feel natural in your hand.

This stuff is basically all feel.

[Hip]

Monitor for sure, but the rest is marketing only. Take a look at the old gaming pros like fatal1ty etc. They played with simple mice and keyboards.

[Daniel Z.]

30 minutes ago, tp95112 said:

Monitor definitly yes. mouse not really. Keyboard, hit your friend over the head with it.

 

30 minutes ago, ShadowCaptain said:

Keyboard no

Mouse 10000000000% definately

Screen - helps to use a proper monitor

 

29 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

Keyboard? Not really. Unless you're a cuthroat professional CS:GO player, a high refresh rate monitor is nice, but not enough of a bother to justify spending 200+ dollars (at least, IMO). But a nicer mouse can definitely help (and make gaming more comfortable in the process). 

 

28 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Yes, as long as you can use them. Same thing happens in sports. You can upgrade your racket, but if your technique sucks... your racket isn't going to change anything. 

 

Personally, I've got friends who will destroy me and any KB/M users with just a simple 360 controller. Give them an Xbox Elite and our chances go way down. 

 

27 minutes ago, Sauron said:

They make a difference, but they won't magically turn you into a pro. If you were seriously hindered by your hardware you'd know it.

 

27 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

Honestly it depends at what level you're trying to play it at. for some people your setup is fine. for some hardcore players and people who are quite skilled.... it would be horrible to play on your setup and they couldn't compete at the level they're used to.

 

a change from a tv to a 144hz monitor would be huge. a mouse with better/more reliable tracking and perhaps a faster poll rate would be huge. mechanical keyboard is nice to use, and a board with switches which have lower actuation distances can help with reaction times as well, but its not as big a deal in this area as most people would make it out to be. Mech keyboards are just more satisfying to use IMO

 

24 minutes ago, Scruffy90 said:

Keyboard - no. I play a few shooters with the membrane of kb of my laptop and at times the mechanical keyboard (MX blues) on my desktop, see no difference between the two.

Mouse - no. I only have a gaming mouse because I use the macros for work and to map certain things like melee and grenades and stuff to my thumb (this is doable on normal mice with extra buttons as well)

Monitor- depends. I prefer a monitor with as little input lag as possible since I predominately play fighting games and having less then a frame of input lag is insanely helpful, but a lot of folks prefer high refresh rate monitors to prevent as much ghosting as possible(don't have hands on exp with high refresh and fps though).

 

20 minutes ago, Toon said:

Alright, thank you everyone! I may get a mouse as people seem to be recommending it! Though I did check this out and it seems quite nice:

https://shop.tesorotec.com/collections/mechanical-gaming-keyboard/products/copy-of-tesoro-excalibur-spectrum-rgb-mechanical-gaming-keyboard?variant=23885834310

 

May get that and maybe a monitor in the future if I ever really need it.

 

 

20 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

a 144Hz screen won't make you go from shit to good or even decent, you might see a small increase in your score, but that is it. It looks nice though.

A more precise mouse can make a fairly "big" difference, but only if your skill is there and only if you go from a very very bad wireless that has a lot of acceleration and a lot of input lag to something like the EC1-A.

 

Keyboard eh, just use what you think feels nice and TBH that is also what I would say when it comes to a mouse, it is very important to just get something that feels nice in your hand.

 

I cannot stretch this enough, upgrading these things won't make you a pro, you may or may not see an increase in your score, but it will be minimal, you can have the best gear ever made and still be shit.

Mouse: YES, I PLAY AT 400 DPI ON A G402

Keyboard: YES, BUT LESS (RHYMING AND CAPS=KEWL)

Monitor: YES, MORE THAN KEYBOARD LESS THAN MOUSE

[MadModder]

If your having fun, that's all that matters. You don't need to spend a wheelbarrow full of money if your just a casual player. Your CPU, GPU, and RAM are really the most important components, with a monitor following close behind. Every thing else can help, but is a matter of personal preference. They are called "peripherals" for a reason. As I said, having fun is the most important aspect of playing games.

[Dackzy]

Just now, Daniel Z. said:

Mouse: YES, I PLAY AT 400 DPI ON A G402

Keyboard: YES, BUT LESS (RHYMING AND CAPS=KEWL)

Monitor: YES, MORE THAN KEYBOARD LESS THAN MOUSE

 

why the mass quote? I already said there would be a difference, but not massive as some say.

Also hello fellow 400 DPI user  Though I am on the Zowie side since I need a big ass mouse  

[Zyndo]

32 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

why the mass quote? I already said there would be a difference, but not massive as some say.

I don't know if you've ever used one... but I think you're really underplaying the usefulness of a high refresh rate monitor. from merely taking vsync off on my 60hz panel on overwatch, and setting the frame cap to 300fps (and settings so i can actually reach those framerates), my overall accuracy went from roughly 60% to a solid 70-75% instantly.

 

and thats still a monitor displaying no more than 60 actual images per second. it may differ from one user to the next, and there is no substitute for true skill, but the tools at your disposal can definitely make a meaningful difference for your performance.

[Dackzy]

2 minutes ago, Zyndo said:

I don't know if you've ever used one... but I think you're really underplaying the usefulness of a high refresh rate monitor. from merely taking vsync off on my 60hz panel on overwatch, and setting the frame cap to 300fps (and settings so i can actually reach those framerates), my overall accuracy went from roughly 60% to a solid 70-75% instantly.

I have used many many 120 and 144Hz screens. I have a very old one in my garage. I am far from new to this. 

 

Also what you are saying makes about zero sense, you cannot get a 60Hz panel to show more than 60 FPS, unless you OC the panel or are you also talking about a completely new monitor with higher refresh rate? 

Though vsync is kinda cancer, it removes screen tearing, but I also feel like the game becomes a bit more sloppy every time I turn it on, so I just keep it off.

[Zyndo]

8 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

I have used many many 120 and 144Hz screens. I have a very old one in my garage. I am far from new to this. 

 

Also what you are saying makes about zero sense, you cannot get a 60Hz panel to show more than 60 FPS, unless you OC the panel or are you also talking about a completely new monitor with higher refresh rate? 

Though vsync is kinda cancer, it removes screen tearing, but I also feel like the game becomes a bit more sloppy every time I turn it on, so I just keep it off.

no. i'm talking about running the game at 300 fps, even though the panel is a 60hz, and just suffering through the tearing so the game image and updates quicker. something as small as that resulted in a pretty tangible and massive difference in my performance (causing me to land nearly 25% more shots). the monitor and its settings stayed the same.

and to be fair it wasn't really V-sync I was using, but the game's build in frame limiter to 60fps in order to avoid the input lag which comes with v-sync.

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, Zyndo said:

no. i'm talking about running the game at 300 fps, even though the panel is a 60hz, and just suffering through the tearing so the game image and updates quicker. something as small as that resulted in a pretty tangible and massive difference in my performance (causing me to land nearly 25% more shots). the monitor and its settings stayed the same.

and to be fair it wasn't really V-sync I was using, but the game's build in frame limiter to 60fps in order to avoid the input lag which comes with v-sync.

it can only update every 16.6667ms no matter how many FPS you are getting, but it might "mix" (lack of better word) frames together, which may or may not do so you see a thing before you would on a locked 60 fps 

I normally stay clear of any FPS limiter, since I always feel like they add a small delay. 

[Zyndo]

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

it can only update every 16.6667ms no matter how many FPS you are getting, but it might "mix" (lack of better word) frames together, which may or may not do so you see a thing before you would on a locked 60 fps 

I normally stay clear of any FPS limiter, since I always feel like they add a small delay. 

i'm not looking for a lesson in how monitors work or how long the frametime is on a 60hz monitor. I'm already aware of these things. What I'm saying is that even a largely superficial change like that made a very massive, very measurable, and very repeatable change to my gaming performance (not to mention my ranked rating). so having a panel which would ACTUALLY be capable of refreshing the image more quickly, and make the game visually smoother, would also have to make a very meaningful difference, if not moreso, for the right users. For a gamer like my brother, his skill level likely would not allow him to properly leverage the advantage he would receive from a 144hz display so its tough to say exactly how much benefit he would see in his gameplay. Someone like me on the other hand, absolutely would have a meaningful performance advantage as a result of this change. Professional players even moreso.

[Praesi]

Yes,  but better Hardware will not make you defeat a superior Opponent.

[leelaa14]

It all makes a difference depending on what you have right now. Right now you may have a shitty mouse with a ton of acceleration and a shitty keyboard. So you would see a benefit from getting proper gear. A good mouse will always improve your gameplay if you find one that has no acceleration and is comfortable for you.
144hz monitor will be a huge leap forward in ALL of your games (if you're currently on 60hz now) even in solitaire as the mouse and card movements would be smoother and much much easier on the eyes.

It may not directly make you a better player, but it will allow you're true skills to be used instead of hardware holding you back. Kinda like running in the Olympics in shoes and then buying a pair of running shoes. The skill was always there, just needed the right stuff to use it.
 

[Mira Yurizaki]

There's more to playing well at a game than just having the best equipment money can buy. Otherwise it'd be like saying getting a BMW or a Mercedes makes you an excellent driver (I see the opposite happen more often than not )

 

If you're not playing comparatively well to begin with, getting better equipment won't magically turn you into a better player. It may help you step your game up if you're at some limit, whatever that maybe, but "regular" equipment doesn't hold you back all that much until you get to the really high level

[PlayStation 2]

I'd say it would all depend on how you play. I rock a keyboard, mouse and a Samsung TV and I play shit like TF2 just fine. But I'm only me, I won't speak for anyone else.