Gaming Keyboard

[Katanauk]

I'd like to go as high as about $120 (thats au$) but can go a bit over if I must and it's a real deal worthy purchase. But I'd rather not.

In my range that puts a few keyboards in the window for me, to name a few

Razer blackwidow, Razer Lycosa, Razer Arctosa

Logitech G110

Saitek Cyborg V5 and V7

Steelseries Shift

I'm sure a few more too, I'm really inexperienced with keyboards. Always just used a standard microsoft keyboard . . . But my new rig is pretty pleasing and I'd like to add to the awesome.

But I don't have the foggiest idea what's good and what's not? I see a lot about mechanical keyboards? pros and cons to that? Google just comes up with over detailed tripe and sales pitches.

I've spent the last couple of hours looking up this and that but am none the wiser.

TL;DR: What's the best gaming keyboard I can get $AU120 or less.

[Zulthus]

I have a Saitek Eclipse III keyboard, and it's really good. Keys are responsive and don't take too much force to push, touch sensitive volume/video controls on the top, and backlighting of various colors and brightnesses. It has a mic/headphone jack on the top right.


I recommend it, but everyone and their mother says mechanicals are much better, so it's all up to you.

[Deezy]

Mechanical keyboards have different keyswitches. (The first keyboards of the early 90's and such were mechanical, and they tend to have a longer lifespawn, normally more than twice the amount of keypresses vs rubber dome)

http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide

This is probably the best guide I can find in regards to switch comparisons. Personally, I use a Corsair Vengeance K90 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823816002. It uses cherry mx switches, and as such, doesn't have the tactical "stop" when typing. It's very smooth and requires very little actuation force. However, I can still rest my hands on the movement keys without accidentally hitting the keys.

All of the "main" keys are mechanical, however, the macro keys (G keys), F keys, and PrintScn - Page down section are rubber dome. I don't use those for regular gaming, so it's a non issue.

[Vancha]

CM Storm's Quickfire Rapid (not the "Trigger" and not the "Pro"), especially if you've ever found yourself hitting your mouse against the side of your keyboard.

That is by far the best deal you'll get if you aren't concerned with gimmicks like macro keys or pretty lights.

[Tsunami]

Personal experience with the lycosa, still using it only cause I'm gonna ride it till death/waiting for some inovation in the tech world.

So with anything technical, you don't want to get something stylish. Like the Razer Lycosa. Both my friend and I have one and the Lights on it randomly switch(it can switch from wasd, to full keyboard, to not on at all) and it will do this randomly, kinda annoying in game. Also on his keyboard, some of his buttons break down, meaning they stop recording the input from the keyboard, specifically his S key is a pain, it'll either stop working or you have to keep pressing it till it works. On mine, the keys are now "sticky" its a bit harder to press down.

Also another problem with the lycosa is that it looks nice and cool but after like 2-3 weeks it gets all this grime and stuff in it. And since has a black glossy finish, all the dust and stuff shows up on it real easy. That's due to the color black absorbing light and if anything is on it, it will reflect that light to your eyes so anything on a black surface will stick out like a sore thumb like the oil on your fingers. Plus cleaning is a bit of a pain cause if you use too damp of a rag you can crap on the actuators since they are really close to the buttons, pretty sensitive buttons tho.

I've also used the g11 and it gets pretty nasty, same ordeal with black, the keys also are a bit harder to push down cause the keys are a bit more elevated. The problem I had with it was dust and stuff that would gather naturally from use and cleaning it would require taking a flat head and ripping the keys off. The keys themselves are durable cause they are just snap ons and pretty hard to break the snap ons. Also you'll never find yourself using the extra g-keys on the side. I played WoW for 5 years and set up macros to the point of counting 135 different keybinds and never had to use the g-keys, although I did shift my hand from wasd to esdf.

As for the others, I don't know much about that. That overclock.net guide looks really good tho. They are missing the other type of actuators, but I don't know if any keyboards use push-button styles that you'd see on arcade machines/fighting games. Those work with two metal contacts on the side and the electrical like is broken. Once you push the button it sends a metal rod between the two contacts and allows an electric connection to be made.

[Captain1nsaneo]

I recently picked up a Microsoft Sidewinder x4. The thing is built to allow for 26 keys to be pressed at the same time which was its main draw for me as my last keyboard was having issues with that. (couldn't crouch and go left and up) Pretty happy with it, people over chat say that it's loud but I'm betting that it's due to the fact that I bash my keyboard when I use it. I haven't had it long enough to talk about its reliability over time but I can tell you that you will have to adjust to what ever new keyboard you get. I'm still ironing out the last bits of finger speed but I've just about gotten used to the new keyplacement.

Btw, anyone found legitimate uses for the macro keys on keyboards?

(edit: reading that overclocked link, interesting stuff but the word that keeps coming to mind is Audiophile. In most cases personal skill will trump hardware minutia. Get the keyboard that feels right under your fingers. [which most will just given time])

[Vancha]

(edit: reading that overclocked link, interesting stuff but the word that keeps coming to mind is Audiophile. In most cases personal skill will trump hardware minutia. Get the keyboard that feels right under your fingers. [which most will just given time])
Have you actually tried a mechanical keyboard? It's as clear a difference as there is between scissor switches (laptop-style keys) and rubber domes (what you're using).

[Deezy]

...Btw, anyone found legitimate uses for the macro keys on keyboards?

Yes, especially in MMOs.

[Anshinritsumai]

Btw, anyone found legitimate uses for the macro keys on keyboards?


Yes, both in-game for MMOs like WoW, as well as for my general desktop use for controlling media players or other various shortcuts.

[Katanauk]

Well, this thread has just made things harder!

But, that's good I suppose, a more informed decision and all that . . .

I'm thinking mechanical, and that corsair one mentioned above has caught my eye . . .

[Sirro]

Keyboard is the only thing Ive never spent cash on, to this day If my keyboard breaks down I go to Savers and for 5 dollars I grab another one. I drink a lot and Id prefer if I don't get beer in a 100+ dollar keyboard.

My friend has the G110 and he says its amazing but I haven't gotten a chance to do a side by side.

I do have a Razer Imperator BF3 Edition, fancy mice I can definitely attest to if you need help with that.

[Firearms]

Seriously considering the Corsair KB

[Deezy]

If you play FPS games a lot, then you won't be disappointed with the Vengeance K90 or any keyboard that uses cherry/black mx switches. You'll either love the cherry mx keys, or hate them. They don't have a "click" to them, just a heads up.

Unlike Vancha, I am concerned with gimmicks like macro keys or pretty lights when they're coupled with a quality item.

[Vancha]

Um, the K60/K90 has cherry reds.

They're beautiful, but no one in the history of keyboards had ever asked for rubber domes with their mechanical keys, plus they can both come with their fair share of issues (http://forum.corsair.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=214).

I'd have let them off seeing as they're their first keyboards, but then they made excuses which were absolutely idiotic.

But yeah, beautiful.

[Deezy]

...Um, the K60/K90 has cherry reds....

Meant red/black

[Captain1nsaneo]

Have you actually tried a mechanical keyboard? It's as clear a difference as there is between scissor switches (laptop-style keys) and rubber domes (what you're using).

I've probably used them at one point or another (The Apple 2E probably had one) but I've never consciously put the two types of boards and tested them. While I do hate lap top keyboards it's only partly for their lack of texture and flimsiness. Normally I hate them due to how their keys are arranged and how it plays hell with my wrists and hands. To be honest I don't think the key responses matters that much to me as I'm fairly loud on my keyboard (I've been told about it enough that I've identified it as a trend and not an off comment) so most of my tell tale signs that I've hit a key is the impact force of my finger stopping.

Hmmm.... you know we have an old electric typewriter around the house and it probably has a mechanical keyboard. Though I'd probably like it more just because of larger key spacing which allows my hands to jump around more. (When spread and put thump to thump my hands are as wide as my keyboard, feels a bit cramped)

I've probably only had about 3 keyboards I've used over about 15 years so I can't really talk about makes just what I've observed going from my native board to using other people's keyboards and lap tops. Either way, there's going to be an adjustment time between an old board and the new one in terms of reaction speed. (e.g. F1 is still my medkit key in PS and the new board has it in a very different spot so I was constantly hitting implants when I wanted my medkit.)

[Katanauk]

I went in my local computer hardware store and they had keyboards out, and let me get a feel for them.

Went with blackwidow ultimate. It just feels utterly gorgeous.

Driving people around me absolutely barmy with the clicking mind you . . . but that's why I got turtle beaches haha!

If it hadn't been mentioned here I probably wouldn't have even requested to try a "mechanical" keyboard because I didn't realise how different they were . . . so thanks a bunch for mentioning that.

I'm constantly pressing wrong keys at the moment as the letters are shifted to the right a bit which can be infuriating in game. Trying tojust roll forward to get my gunner over the hill and VROOOM full speed over the hill!

Oh poo I pressed Q again. But I'll get there.

Thanks again, gave me a lot to think about and helped me make a better decision, or a less shaky one at least :)

[Zulthus]

but that's why I got turtle beaches haha!


An excellent choice!

Enjoy the keyboard.