Best gaming keyboard

[Fallen Kell]

Basically, the things that make a gaming keyboard a "gaming keyboard":
1) N-Key Rollover (NKRO)
2) Fast trigger/reset on the switches
3) Programmable keys/macros
4) Reliable/sturdy switches

After that, it is all up to the user's preferences as there is no best. Some people may want to be able to remap any key with any other key or replace the key with a macro. Some people may want the enter key to be the IBM double height key. Some people may like backlighting (others will not). Some may like Cherry MX brown switches, others red, others black. Some may hate Cherry MX switches entirely due to noise.

 

[Childs]

I have the G710+. It also has the most legible lighting I've seen with independent brightness for the gaming keys and six customizable keys for shortcuts or game macros, etc. I use one to put my PC to sleep.

Yeah, I have it as well and I prefer simple white lighting. It has everything I wanted feature wise. Its too bad it does doesn't have that LCD game panel thing.

 

[bradly1101]

Yeah, I have it as well and I prefer simple white lighting. It has everything I wanted feature wise. Its too bad it does have that LCD game panel thing.

The 710+ does not have the LCD. I'm thinking of adding one; they're quite useful (from my old G15):

 

[Childs]

The 710+ does not have the LCD. I'm thinking of adding one; they're quite useful (from my old G15):

Oops, I meant "doesn't". Yeah I thought it was a great feature on the G15. I didnt use it too much, just for system stats, clock and frame rate counter, but thats pretty much what I use a second monitor for now.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

So I've started shopping around for a keyboard and mouse for the first time since, well, the Saitek Eclipse & Logitech G5 were go-to choices. I have to say I'm a bit put off by what's out there either by price or gaudiness. Are there any decent quality options with basic aesthetics that won't set me back more than $100 or so for the pair?

 

[xxxkaliboyxxx]

I miss my Logitech 710 with the LCD screen =( I switched over to a tenkeyless cherry reds and it might be nice, I also miss the numpad and its loud! People can hear me typing in the other room lol

 

[pcslookout]

Wow thanks Anandtech for now reviewing all kind of gaming keyboards! Very nice!

Good thing I returned my Cherry MX Board 6.0 Mechanical Keyboard for free! Gotta love free returns! I agree it is to expensive and only for certain people. I just didn't think it was worth what it costed.

 

[TeknoBug]

Shopping for a new keyboard, thinking either Azio MGK1, Corsair K70 (not RGB), or Tt Poseidon Z. Either red or brown switches, I like blue switches too but there's some input latency with them when playing FPS or RPG games. I like the Azio's metal body but it uses Kailh switches which worries me in terms of reliability (same goes for the Thermaltake keyboard), Corsair would be my choice but has gotten expensive (in Canadian $) recently.

EDIT- just grabbed the Azio MGK1 brown for now until Corsair K70 comes down in price and use the Azio for office.

 

[pcslookout]

I just got a Ducky Shine 5 RGB LED Backlit Mechanical Keyboard (Brown Cherry MX)!

 

[nerp]

Ducky Shines are good. Props for that.

 

[choccy_bar]

£150 for a keyboard? Having a larf.

 

[danEboy83]

I agree with digdog, ten keyless is the way to go. I have limited desk space but i prefer having my hands closer together as well. I use a corsair k65 with cherry mx reds.

 

[DigDog]

if you have a steady job and you are single, £150 for a piece of technology with a life expectancy of 20 years is a pretty easy buy.

 

[nerp]

£150 for a keyboard? Having a larf.

I write for a living. Crap keyboards break in a few months. Keys begin to squeak. Spacebars begin to rattle. My IBM Model M is 20 years old and works just like it was opened new in box yesterday. I could beat a man to death with it, collect the keycaps that flew off during the beating, pop them back on and continue writing with zero damage. My topre allows me to write all day long with few interruptions and my hands never get tired. The build quality and the quality key switch and mechanism make working a pleasurable experience. I relish pounding away at the keyboard the same way a craftsman has special pride for a quality axe, knife, fishing rod, racecar.

There is a difference between a cheaply-made mechanical keyboard that is merely low-grade plastic with some cherry switches fused onto cheap PCB with some LEDs stuffed in vs. a true quality mechanical keyboard. I urge you to get your hands on a good board, perhaps a Topre Realforce, or sit down and do some serious work on a IBM Model M for an hour. You will return to your rubber dome slice of wet noodle misery, or worse, your Apple chiclet tragedy, and it won't be long before you're googling things like "HHKB Pro Custom Keycaps" and "buckling spring dampening rings" and loosing sleep over whether you can live with ABS keycaps or not, or whether the silver label 80s IBM-made Model Ms are worth the price premium over the Lexmark-made Ms in the mid-90s going forward.

 

[DigDog]

is there better stuff than ABS keycaps?
(typed on ABS keycaps)

 

[nerp]

is there better stuff than ABS keycaps?
(typed on ABS keycaps)

PBT.

 

[DigDog]

riiiiight .. i got my keycaps the other way around. yes, i do have pbt keycaps. yeah abs is kinda gross, some brands abs are semi-decent, some others are horrible.

 

[nerp]

riiiiight .. i got my keycaps the other way around. yes, i do have pbt keycaps. yeah abs is kinda gross, some brands abs are semi-decent, some others are horrible.

Yeah. I find that ABS caps get shiny. You can get high quality ABS caps but they will eventually find the shine.

My Type Heaven has ABS keys. No shine so far. If it comes, I'm going to order a replacement set of PBT caps for it. It really is just a RealForce in ABS packaging. The keys are interchangeable.

Another advantage to PBT caps is the letters never go away. They are formed within the plastic, not stuck on afterwards.

 

[DigDog]

incidentally, WASD is selling PBT now, both regular and backlit. i had a rather long email back n forth with their support, asking if they were planning on carrying them, but (six months ago) they said no - now they do.

personally, i got my PBT from a chinese shop on ebay, $34 for a full set with 2 spacebars. They feel much better, but they do tend to get dirty; however a quick scrub with warm water and soap and they look like new.

here's those backlit pbts
http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index....y-mx-keycap-set-backlit-doubleshot-black.html

incidentally, they are the ones who sold me my CODE keyboard, which had horrible ABS, slippery, and shine + worn-out print like you wouldn't believe. this frikkin keyboard wound up costing me nearly $200 ...

 

[Socio]

That's good, knock on wood. They redesigned the LEDs on the new RGB models. The failure rate on the non-RGB models is catastrophic from what I've seen and read.

Good!

I have a Logitech G15 and it is wearing out, I plan on either going to the Logitech G510s or the Corsair K95 RGB model, I play mostly MMOs and use/need those extra programmable keys.

Either that or maybe go tenkeyless like others are suggesting use something like a Logitech G13 for programmable keys.

 

[Tannerblast]

Honestly the new corsair rapidfire seems like everything you would want in a gaming keyboard. I would just switch the keycaps. I wish it was full aluminum but oh well.

 

[Cerb]

Nice gentle necros.

is there better stuff than ABS keycaps?
(typed on ABS keycaps)

Spherical ABS keycaps . OK, spherical PBT would be nice, but doubleshot SA (SP's own profile, similar to Cherry's old ones) are widely available, ABS only for the doubleshots, and are a pretty good profile. Being semi-gloss to start with, shine isn't a big deal. Just trim your nails, and they'll be fine for many years to come.

Another advantage to PBT caps is the letters never go away. They are formed within the plastic, not stuck on afterwards.

It's just that since PBT caps are already a premium feature, there's no good reason to use paint or stickers to save a little money. ABS can be made with non-wearing labels, but most keycaps aren't made that way, since it's more expensive to do it. IoW, that's an advantage to laser-etched or dye-sublimated keycaps, not PBT plastic.

<- TKL w/ Round 5 caps. TBH, though, the nav keys on the mouse hand are kind of a bad thing, putting too much strain on my right hand (I use all but insert, prntscrn, scroll lock, and pause, more than any other keys but tab and space). Better than full-size, but I'm treating it as a stepping stone towards getting something that will force me to re-learn typing.

 

[DigDog]

ABS can vary wildly in quality. the set on my -rather expensive- WASD keyboard wore out in 5 months, not just shiny, so slippery you would have a hard time gripping the keys.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

I used to have a Sidewinder X4 and loved it. I got it around $40-50 years ago,

Me too, though mine still works fine...You can't repair cable?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What are these new light activated key switches I briefly heard about a while ago? I read some .1ms reaction time, unlimited durability, the best debounce time...