Razer made waves in the PC peripheral market with their high-precision Razer Boomslang mouse, and has steadily grown a healthy business with more advanced mice over the last several years (in the face of competition from the likes of Microsoft and Logitech). Now it has set its sights on the other half of the “mouse and keyboard” PC gaming control equation.

The company’s gaming keyboard, dubbed the “Tarantula,” is claimed to be the “World’s smartest keyboard.” Like its Copperhead mouse, the keyboard contains its own memory and can store macros and commands, so you can set it up on your own PC and take it to the LAN party without the need to reprogram it. There are five profiles, and in each one you can fully reprogram every single key on the keyboard. If you want the Windows key to open the scoreboard in Counter-Strike, that’s no problem. In addition, there are five macro keys on the left of the keyboard and five to the right of the number pad, giving you ten programmable macros per profile.

When we spoke with Razer’s CEO at CES, he informed us that this will be the first low-latency keyboard on the market. Nobody talks about keyboard latency, but according to Razer, it’s actually quite bad (over 120 milliseconds on most keyboards). The Tarantula will feature a latency of less than 8ms. Another nifty feature: You won’t be limited to “chording” (or pressing at the same time) only 3 keys. The Tarantula features anti-ghosting technology that allows you to chord as many keys together as you want. Other innovations include short-throw, silent keys that are easily removable with a little plastic snap-off key tool, so you can wash them. The keyboard will also feature a pair of USB ports and both headphone and microphone jacks. The design and software are still being finalized—the Tarantula won’t ship until around May of this year for $99.99.

If that sounds like it’s a bit steep for your gaming peripheral budget, consider the Razer Krait mouse. With an MSRP of $39.99 (and e-tail availability probably $10 less), this is a gaming mouse that won’t break the bank. It only has three buttons, but it still features most of the things Razer is known for, including 1600 DPI sensitivity, lightweight, a thin and light cord, and lots of tweaking options in the drivers. The mouse is optimized for real-time strategy games, with a new “rebound” technology that makes the buttons just a little bit springy, which is said to increase the number of clicks per second you can achieve. It’s also a little smaller than other Razer mice, good for the Asian market where RTS games are most popular but also handy for the Western world’s smaller-handed gamers. The Krait is almost ready to ship, and should be on shelves by the end of the month.

Gaming computers have high–end graphics cards, processors and lots of RAM—those components needed to enhance your gaming experience. When considering a gaming computer you should carefully evaluate your needs. Most manufacturers provide individual customization, so you can get a desktop that will fit your gaming style and budget.

• Processor – A fast CPU, or processor, will prevent lags in large or complex games like first person shooters or MMORPGs (massively multi–player online role–playing games). Some systems have dual core processors for hard–core gaming.
• Memory – A large memory allows the computer to quickly access frequently used information or programs. This is critical for gaming. A gaming PC should have between one and two GB of RAM memory and a sufficient hard drive.
• Video/Audio – A game is only as good as the graphics card supporting it. Many games have life–like, real–time images that require a high–end graphics card. Most computer manufacturers allow you to upgrade your graphics card. The sound should be a clear as the image.
• I/O Device – Some computers come with various peripherals including a mouse, keyboard, speakers and a monitor while others don’t. This may or may not be important depending on the buyer. Additionally, some gaming systems come with uniquely designed towers with sleek cases and neon lights.
• Value/Price – In this review, we looked for computers under $2000. The leading companies are value oriented—providing a lot of computer for a good price.
• Support/Warranty – The first–class manufacturers provide quality help and support through email, phone and online chat. They also provide practical warranties at no additional cost.