Does Gear in PC Gaming Make the Player?

Video gaming is a form of competition with some of the most outrageous and ostentatious gear around. When colored lighting called RGB being included in everything is more the rule than the exception, it’s easy to get distracted. Distraction can obfuscate, however, especially when it comes to what peripherals can really do. What can give you an edge, and when are components about as important to computer performance as flame paint is to the speed of a race car?

Input Matters

Using a keyboard and mouse in gaming needs to be as comfortable in breathing, and while default options that ship with a system can work, they’re also limiting what a player can do.

For consistency, it can be best to use a keyboard and mouse that were designed to be used together. The best gaming keyboard and mouse combo like those from Corsair and Havit are created with coordination in mind, which means fewer issues with drivers and features. They can also cover the gambit of costs, from the budget but quality products to the systems many pros use. Name and reputation in control are important, where simplicity is often a better choice over complex features.

Display Counts

Competitive eSports games require quick reflexes, and people can only aim as fast as they can see and react. This is why players of high-speed games like Counter-Strike and Overwatch need to achieve a high frame rate, and for a monitor to be able to display this high frame rate. In computer monitors, the number of frames that can be displayed in a second is called Hz, where higher outputs can improve top player aiming. The more frames a screen displays, the more accurate it can be to what is happening in real-time, the more data the brain has to work with, and the better the responses it can generate.

The other side of this equation is processing power fast enough to push enough frames to a monitor. Unlike consoles, PCs can have a huge amount of different hardware. eSports titles tend not to be very demanding, so getting the right RAM, CPU, and GPU to hit pro frame rates isn’t difficult. Going too far beyond what is required can be expensive and unnecessary, however, offering no advantages. For example, the fastest systems can hit over 1,100 FPS in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The fastest monitors only go up to 500 Hz, and humans see major diminishing returns at about 144 Hz, making the extra cost pointless.

The Human Element

No matter how good your gear is, the most important factor in performing well is the player. The worst player on the best system will never beat the best player on the worst system, and this needs to be kept in mind. Just like the guy with a new Ferrari who brags about his power before hitting a tree, good equipment can’t make up for the wrong approach. Practice first, build a foundation, and when you do find an upgrade, improvements will be all the more noticeable.