As a second real competitor I ordered the very successful and well-known Samson Meteor Mic USB (http://amzn.to/1lIBWjk). For the price it is unbeatable, but with drawbacks. It has a very large membrane and is directly on the desk, without any attenuation. Noise is preprogrammed. At the microphone pricking fast times a drumstick eye, but it is not really designed. A nice microphone that but unfortunately not thought through is.
The Rode NT-USB (http://amzn.to/WcMZos) I compared side by side with the Samson Meteor. The Rode has a more balanced sound and is not too bassy, like Samson. In addition, the Rode rushes a little less. Ultimately I resorted but other reasons for Rode.
The Rode NT-USB (http://amzn.to/WcMZos) has a pop filter and is processed really awesome massively. While Samson has an integrated pop filter, but these usually do not work in the approach as good as that of the Rode mics. The main reason were the two controllers on the mic. When Samson, with just a volume control, the balance between the computer and sound monitoring can be adjusted, unfortunately, only indirectly. When Rode there for an extra controller. Especially when voice-over of these regulators is very convenient.
My setup:
I have the arm JustIn bought the microphone EKS-015 (http://amzn.to/1lICG87), which holds the NT-USB loose. Because I wanted to save myself buying an expensive Rode Spider, I have the arm mounted on an 8 Ikea table standing right next to my desk. So vibration and keystrokes are not passed through the arm to the micro. Overall, I am quite happy with my setup. The sound is very good and well-balanced, but in this case some noise is added. But this has little to do with the micro, but more with my recording room, which is unfortunately somewhat suboptimal. In any case, the Rode Micro makes an incredible amount to a reasonable price.
For the Rode NT-USB (http://amzn.to/WcMZos) there is of me a strong buy recommendation. To about 250, it is probably the best micro that one can buy for a USB connection.