Step 4: The Peripherals
Now that we’ve seen the inside of the beast, let’s take a look at ultimate peripherals.
ViewSonic N2750w 27” LCD Monitor ($999)
Yoda once said, “Size matters not.” Unfortunately for him, see the UGM he did not! ViewSonic’s 27” N2750w LCD TV puts other widescreen monitors to shame with its 16ms response time, unheard of for a flat-panel of this size. The 1280x720 native resolution may not seem like a lot if you’re used to 1600x1200, but 27-inches of Headcrab jumping at your face is enough to make anyone soil their Half-Life 2 Underoos. The N2750w also doubles as an HDTV with all the inputs (DVI, RGB, RCA and component) and even a built-in SRS 20-watt sound system. The integrated speakers are nice if you need to save space and ducats but for UGM we need ultimate sound, which leads us to….
Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Sound System ($278)
Our set of Logitech’s Z-5500 speakers blew the masses away, showcasing Valve’s Half-Life 2: Lost Coast demo at this year’s G-Phoria, so we had no reason to stray from our Lab Pick from a few months ago. With a plethora of features and power to spare, the Z-5500 remains the Lab’s choice for gaming speakers.
D-Link Gigabit Gaming Router ($129)
The D-Link Gaming Router establishes new nomenclature in the G4 Labs as the first router to be called “bad-ass” with their new GameFuel technology. It prioritizes your router traffic making sure gaming packets take precedence over your brother’s porn torrents and sister’s Clay Aiken iTunes download and by golly, it works and works well. We played hours of Battlefield 2 with no hiccups or slow downs while downloading World of Warcraft patches. Sweet! The neon blue activity LED lights add that extra gamer’s touch, and how can something not be cool when it has flashy blue lights? If that’s not enough, it’s the only gigabit router with wireless (108G) on the market.
fUnc sUrface 1030 MBA Mouse Pad ($50)
Arguably the best mouse pad ever, the sUrface 1030 double-sided pad has an ultra-smooth surface for quick response as well as a semi-rough surface for pinpoint accuracy. Combine this with a machined billet aluminum base and you’ve got yourself the ultimate mousing surface.
Mouse: Logitech MX518 Gaming Mouse ($49.99)
With a 1600-dpi optical engine, the light, ergonomic, sleek MX518 improves your gaming experience from the get-go, making it the bane of all your online gaming “friends”. Although we love the wireless MX1000 Laser Mouse for pure accuracy, we chose the corded (no batteries needed) MX518 for its in-game sensitivity adjustment feature. You can set it for head-shot accuracy or caffeine-induced acceleration. Every gamer plays differently and all gamers will appreciate the flexibility.
Keyboard: Logitech Media Keyboard ($29.95)
Logitech peripherals are known in the G4 Lab as the best of the best and that’s what UGM is all about, pairing our MX518 mouse with the Logitech Media Keyboard. Befitting the UGM keyboard, this sleek beauty has comfortable and responsive keys, with frequently-pressed buttons larger and easier to access than on other keyboards. There are also over 15 programmable buttons to open a browser, check email, control your MP3 player, and even launch the calculator.
