Choosing a Monitor

No computer is complete without a monitor.  Seriously.  You won't be able to see what your computer is doing. So, it's time for you to pick a new monitor.  Maybe it's for your new custom machine.  Maybe you want to upgrade from your "Stone Age" screen.  Or you want to upgrade to an awesome multi-monitor setup (see Multiple Monitors FTW).

Nowadays, there are just so many different monitors out there.  So which one is the right one to buy?

There are 5 main things to consider in a monitor:

1. Resolution
• This is probably the most important thing to consider when buying a monitor because the higher the resolution, the more you can see on the screen at a time.  As of now, nearly all mainstream monitors are in the 16:9 aspect ratio, so bigger is pretty much better.
2. Dot-pitch
• This has to do with the size and resolution of your monitor.  It's how big each pixel on your screen is.
• If your monitor is bigger, the pixels will be bigger, so you can see stuff on it from farther away.
• If your monitor is smaller, the pixels will be smaller, so the images will appear sharper.
• Personally, I prefer higher dot-pitches so I can sit further from the monitor and have more things on my desk between me and my monitor.
3. User reviews
• You can find out a lot of useful things from user reviews.  You want to make sure that the monitor has a lot of positive reviews.  It's the only real way to tell how well the monitor actually works.  If it has a high fail rate, you may not want to buy it.
• You can find out how durable the monitor is -- that is, how long it will last before giving up.  Many of the really cheap ones can break in around a year, so if you're intending to replace it by then, then you might want to go for one of these.
• Make sure your monitor has minimal backlight bleed and color inaccuracy.  Backlight bleed is when there is too much light coming from the sides of your monitors, and it is extremely noticeable/distracting when you have a black background showing.  If color reproduction is important to you, many times the reviews will tell you how good the colors are.
4. LED vs. LCD  (see LCD vs. LCD)
5. Input
• Your monitor should be able to receive input from whatever signal you're outputting.  If you don't have any adapters and don't want to buy any and your monitor can't get your output, then it's basically useless.
• Most monitors come with all of the cables needed to connect them to your computer.  However, some try to cut costs by not giving you all of the necessary cables (not the power cord, of course), so you'd have to buy them yourself unless you happen to have spare cables lying around in your house.

The verdict (my choice): For under $160, highest resolution, largest size, very positive reviews, LED

Choosing a Keyboard

The keyboard is super-important to computer users because it's the other main way people interact with their machines.  This means that they should be happy with their keyboard, especially programmers, who really depend on their keyboards.

First of all, ever wondered why it is called a keyboard?  If you did, then you're DUMB!  Just kidding... maybe you just never thought about it before.  If you didn't know, it's called a keyboard because the thing is basically a board with keys on it for you to press.

There are 5 main things to consider in a keyboard:

1. Ergonomic vs. Normal
• Ergonomic keyboard are those round ones you see that are supposed to be better for your hands and arms when typing.  The standard is the regular rectangular keyboard you always see. 
• Ergonomic ones are supposed to decrease the risk of Carpal Tunnel, but there is no real evidence to back this.
• An ergonomic can help you type faster, more easily, and more comfortably because it puts your hands in a more natural position, but it may take some getting used to.
• Ergonomic keyboard are usually bigger, so if desk space is tight, that might be a consideration.
2. Wired vs. Wireless (see #2 in Choosing a Mouse, and replace all instances of "mouse" with "keyboard")
3. Types of buttons
• Extra keys that let you set the volume and stuff are quite helpful.  It's so much easier to adjust volume using your keyboard than manually going into your taskbar and changing it.  However, changing it using your speakers adjustments is even easier.  I don't find other keys as useful as volume adjustment.
• The [ENTER] key is not supposed to take up two rows!  Those old-school keyboard with massive enter keys and tiny backspace keys are quite annoying because they shift the backslash into the top row and make the backspace harder to find.
• Your arrow keys should be arranged normally, as in up arrow on its separate row, with all other directional keys below it.  On some keyboard, the down arrow gets its own row under the left and right keys, which feels kind of weird overall.
• Your keyboard should look nice.  Visually, your keyboard should be at least somewhat pleasing.  The keyboard that look like the keys are completely cramped together without a thought to their logical placement are probably not a good choice.
4. Durability (see #4 in Choosing a Mouse, except that its about keyboard this time)
5. Keyboard noise
• This is pretty hard to gauge unless you've tried it out because all manufacturers list their keyboards as "quiet."  I really think that excess noise from the keyboard can be quite distracting, so invest in getting a quieter keyboard (maybe your friend has a recommendation for you), unless you like the clackety noise coming from your keyboard to tell you that you REALLY are typing.
• This sometimes has to do with how easily or how difficult the keys go down.  Mushy keys don't give enough tactile feedback to your fingers, whereas stiff ones require too much effort to push down.  I think that keyboard tend to get softer the more you use them.  I personally prefer my keyboard on the mushier side because they're generally quieter and are easier on the fingers.

The verdict (my choice): Ergonomic, wired, extra buttons for volume adjustment, medium durability, quiet/mushy.

Price Range: $15-25.

Choosing a Mouse

The mouse is one of the main ways that people interact with a computer.  So, they should probably pick a mouse that they will be happy with, especially if they are heavy computer users, such as gamers.

First of all, ever wondered why it is called a mouse?  Look here, but you probably could already guess that the two buttons look like ears and the wire looks like a tail.

There are 4 main considerations in choosing the right mouse:

1. Laser vs. Optical
• The laser has better DPI than an optical mouse, meaning that it is much more sensitive to small motions.  Even though this sounds like a great thing, I think that both of these types are more sensitive than they actually need to be, resulting in me always turning down the sensitivity.
• The laser can be used on any surface.  This is kind of important.  Optical mice cannot work on certain surfaces, like glossy ones, but laser mice can basically work on any surface, meaning you don't actually need a mousepad to use your mouse.
• The optical mouse has a red light.  I don't really know if this is a plus or minus for the optical mouse.  Some people think the red light is cool, but the invisible laser can look "cleaner."
• Laser mice cost more, but not by much anymore.  Even though laser mice are a tad more expensive than your standard optical mouse, I would say that it's worth the extra few dollars.
2. Wired vs. Wireless
• Wired mice do not require batteries!  It's really annoying to have to change out your batteries in your mouse as it's dying.  When your cursor begins to stop following your mouse, you have to stick in another battery.  If you have cheap batteries and an inefficient mouse, you could be switching out batteries a lot.
• Wired mouse have wires, duh!  The wires can look sort of messy on your desk or get tangled up with other wires, but I recommend that you tie up your long wires with twisty-ties so that they are just long enough let your mouse be where you want it.  Also, put the wires behind your monitor/tower/laptop so that it doesn't get in the way and it looks a bit neater.
• Wireless mice are more expensive, but not by much.  I think that wired mice are better, mostly because they don't have to get their batteries changed.  Also, some wireless receivers are so crappy that a long-wired mouse can actually reach farther!
3. Extra buttons
• Some people need those extra buttons on their mouse that they can configure, especially for gaming, such as a "reload" or "next weapon" key for first-person shooters.  I personally think that these keys aren't necessary, but if you're a hardcore gamer, maybe you should invest in a hardcore mouse so that you are on top of the competition.
4. Durability
• Some mice are really cheap, but break so frequently.  The good thing is that these cheap ones are easily replaced.  If you want to keep on buying cheap mice, then durability is not a problem, but if you have an expensive one, you'd want to make sure it lasts.

The verdict (my choice): Laser, wired, no extra buttons, cheap/not-very-durable.

Price range: $10-15.