Keyboard recommendations for gaming?

[avitush]

So my old keyboard finally died. I'm looking for replacement recommendations. I busted a spare out of storage, and it works, but I hate typing on this thing and really hate using it for gaming.

For reference, the old one was a Logitech LX710 (random image of it that I found on Google: https://www.game-debate.com/keyboard...ech%20LX%20710).

Other notes:

- I'm willing to spend up to $100 - maybe $150. Give or take a few bucks if there's some super good Black Friday deal out there where one that's normally far more expensive is just a few bucks over my budget.

- I will primarily be using this for gaming. I also do some work from home (so typing e-mails, documents, etc, not exactly typing up novels though).

- The main thing I liked about my old one was the shape (particularly the extra surface area below the space bar) and the fact that there was a little spacing between the keys. Typing on it was pretty comfortable. The spare one I'm using right now is tight and has all the keys crammed pretty close together.

- I would like lit keys, but minimal is fine. Just standard blue/white/something that's easy on the eyes and makes things a little easier to see. I don't care about flashiness/light shows. I'm not a streamer or anything, so it's not like anyone else is gonna see it.

- I don't care much about wired vs wireless, but I lean more towards wired just because 1) I don't like having to dick with batteries/charging, 2) I don't need wireless anyway because this will never leave my desk, and 3) cables don't bother me. That said, if anyone suggests a good enough wireless one, I'm open to it.

- No real brand preferences. I'm somewhat partial to Logitech just because all the Logitech stuff I've ever owned has been solid, but I'm open to anything.

I've heard good things about the Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum (minus a few reviews I've read where people complained about issues with the space bar). It does look nice, seems to have mostly good reviews, and is pretty comfortably within my price range. Just curious if anyone has any other suggestions.

[Kagthul]

1 - find a key type you like if you're looking at mechanical.
2 - get a keyboard with that type of switch that has the other features you want.
3 - profit.

Almost any mainstream manufacturer has decent keyboards in the 70-120$ range with good mechanical switches that are backlit.

Ive used Razer, Cooler Master, ASUS, Das Keyboard, Corsair, and my son has a cheap Redragon mechanical.

Theyre all basically usable and soli, even the Redragon board that was all of 40$.

The main difference is extra software features, comfort (some have wrist-rests that would sub in for that huge chin on that old Logitech), and switch type.

I personally prefer Browns (tactile bump but no click), but Blues (tactile + click) are quite popular, and Reds (linear, no tactile bump, no click) are very popular with gamers because of their low actuation force but they are kinda meh for typing precisely for the same reason. Razer has equivalents to all of those, they just use different names (Razer Greens = Blues, etc), and they have a custom opto-mechanical switch (its got a spring in it like a mechanical switch, but has a little optical sensor that actually tracks the actuation, its light and springy, not really my bag), and Logitech has a custom switch called a Romer-G (but they also use Cherry MX switches like Blues, Reds, Browns) that ive never personally used. Razer also has a switch they call a "mecha-membrane" - its basically a membrane switch like most non-mechanical boards, but it ALSO has a mechanical-like tactile bump and click like a Blue. These feature on the Cynosa. I used a Cynosa Chroma for a bit as a daily driver when my Mac's main keyboard at the time - a very old, original-run (2011 or 2012) Black Widow Ultimate finally gave up the ghost. I had originally bought it to have as a "spare" keyboard for using on my workbench and the like. It was plenty decent for typing, though i still prefer real mechanicals.

For a no-muss, no-fuss, no-software required (but available if you want to use it), im actually quite pleased with my Daily Driver's keyboard - a Cooler Master CK 530. Its got Kailh Browns (equivalent-ish/knockoffs of Cherry Browns, since their patent ran out. Theyre not 100% as good as Cherry's but id call them 90% and still great). The newer model (CK 530 V2) comes with a detachable wrist rest. The main selling point for me (since this was going to be used on a Mac) is that the RGB backlighting can be completely controlled on the keyboard itself, and doesn't require software (which most companies dont make for Mac anyway). For Windows, it HAS very robust software for the lighting, but if you dont want to use it, you can very easily set up a basic lighting profile (one-color) with like... 4 key presses. And its not expensive. They have a similar, higher-end line ("MK" instead of "CK" that have nicer features, and use genuine Cherry switches, an RGB light bar around the outside of the keyboard base) that id imagine is equally good, if more expensive.

But really, any mech keyboard from a reputable vendor will do you fine, in a switch type you actually like. Even a Chinesium brand like Redragon - i was honestly shocked at how good the cheapie one-color (red) backlit keyboard i got for my son was (its got Kailh Blues, they make versions with other switch types).

Just look around in your price range, head out to an actual store if you can do so safely to try out the various switch types, and find one that has the features you really want.

[Thoriangun]

OP, ask your self how much typing you actually do.

If you do a lot of gaming then I would actually recommend the Razer tarterus or Orbweaver, these are specifically designed for gaming and I'm just gonna say this, once you get used to it and map the keys to your liking it bests keyboards by a huge margin its a joke, keyboards have never been designed for gaming and calling a keyboard gaming is false, its simply not shaped or mapped for gaming.

If you game, get something designed for it.

[Kagthul]

OP, ask your self how much typing you actually do.

Poster, ask yourself, "did i read the OP"?

Because... you kinda didn't.

Even if he types VERY LITTLE, he *absolutely hates* his temporary keyboard. And he cant type on a Tartarus or Orbweaver.

If you do a lot of gaming then I would actually recommend the Razer tarterus or Orbweaver, these are specifically designed for gaming and I'm just gonna say this, once you get used to it and map the keys to your liking it bests keyboards by a huge margin its a joke, keyboards have never been designed for gaming and calling a keyboard gaming is false, its simply not shaped or mapped for gaming.

This is kinda funny because the Orbweaver is literally just a symetrical series of keys... exactly like a keyboard. I mean, its got that wrist rest, but - not sure if you know this - you can get thse kinds of wrist rests for keyboards too. The Tartarus is a LITTLE different - they keys are offset slightly and its got the much better right-hand thumbstick/spacebar (the one on the Tartarus still has much more clearly defined directions compared to the one on the Orbweaver), + the scroll wheel, like the design that Razer bought (the Belkin Nostromo n52, which i still have!) and turned into the Tartarus (ts actually almost entirely unchanged from the Nostromo except for they keys being mecha-menbrane).

But i quit using my n52 more than 12 years ago, because i play games where i need to be able to type to communicate with people in chat, and having to take my hand off the controls and move them to a keyboard is a PITA.

Ive contemplated grabbing the Tartarus myself a number of times, and then inevitably remember that having to swap to the keyboard anyway is why i quit using the Nostromo.

If you're worried about a keyboard not being ergo enough, get a TKL or a 60%, then you can let it sit at an angle so you're not pronating your wrist, and it doesnt force your arms out wide to use your mouse.

If you game, get something designed for it.

..../sigh

And, to the OP, i know this is way out of your budget... but check this shizz out:

https://mountain.gg/keyboards/everest-max/

I sorta want one even though my ROG Claymore is .. 2/3 of that (its got a removable/reversible numpad like that, but no awesome screen).

[Thoriangun]

Poster, ask yourself, "did i read the OP"?

Because... you kinda didn't.

Even if he types VERY LITTLE, he *absolutely hates* his temporary keyboard. And he cant type on a Tartarus or Orbweaver.



This is kinda funny because the Orbweaver is literally just a symetrical series of keys... exactly like a keyboard. I mean, its got that wrist rest, but - not sure if you know this - you can get thse kinds of wrist rests for keyboards too. The Tartarus is a LITTLE different - they keys are offset slightly and its got the much better right-hand thumbstick/spacebar (the one on the Tartarus still has much more clearly defined directions compared to the one on the Orbweaver), + the scroll wheel, like the design that Razer bought (the Belkin Nostromo n52, which i still have!) and turned into the Tartarus (ts actually almost entirely unchanged from the Nostromo except for they keys being mecha-menbrane).

But i quit using my n52 more than 12 years ago, because i play games where i need to be able to type to communicate with people in chat, and having to take my hand off the controls and move them to a keyboard is a PITA.

Ive contemplated grabbing the Tartarus myself a number of times, and then inevitably remember that having to swap to the keyboard anyway is why i quit using the Nostromo.

If you're worried about a keyboard not being ergo enough, get a TKL or a 60%, then you can let it sit at an angle so you're not pronating your wrist, and it doesnt force your arms out wide to use your mouse.



..../sigh

And, to the OP, i know this is way out of your budget... but check this shizz out:

https://mountain.gg/keyboards/everest-max/

I sorta want one even though my ROG Claymore is .. 2/3 of that (its got a removable/reversible numpad like that, but no awesome screen).

Will cut to the chase, get a cheaper keyboard that will just type, instead of trying to get a standard layout keyboard to do both, get something that is ergonomic from the get go to type on.

The Tartarus with their thumbsticks and mappable keys with just how your hand lays over the whole device is way better.

Keyboards will always suck at gaming compared to it when it comes to comfort and performance.

[Kagthul]

The other models I kept coming back to were the Corsair K68 RGB, which looks nice, has a lot of features I want, and has a lot of good reviews (and for the most part, I don't have any issues with Corsair)

I had the K65 RGB (the first model) for a hot minute. It was decent (for me) - but it was the keyboard that taught me i hated Reds (they are just too easy to actuate for me, ive got giant hands and tend to meatfist the keyboard). Quality wise (build, etc) it was exceptional. I gave it to my wife, who doesn't mind the reds. She still uses it.

And for RGB Control software (at least for keyboards) Corsair's software is by FAR the best. You can program it all sorts of ways and the profiles can be exported as files so you can share them. People had done reactive ones that responded like KITT from Knight Rider, one that was Pac Man chasing the Ghosts across the keyboard, all sorts of stuff. Ive never seen any of the other manufacturers have that kind of granularity and, especially, the shareability so you didn't have to learn how to do it yourself if you didn't want.

If they had offered that keyboard in Blues or Browns i'd have kept it and would likely still be using it. (I replaced it with a Razer Black Widow TE with Razer Greens (Blues, basically), which was a perfectly good keyboard but i got tired of Synapse so i sold it to a friend who is like fully into the Razer ecosystem and replaced it with my current board, the ASUS ROG Claymore, which is a really solid board sporting MX Browns. And it works with AURA, so it can sync with my fan/case RGB.

and the Cooler Master CK530 V2 that Kagthul mentioned. If I end up hating the Logitech one for some reason, I'll probably look towards those next time I have some extra cash.

I went with the CK530 because it was cheaper (and does what i need it to on my Mac daily driver), but if you were going to get one as your primary/only keyboard, i'd get the MK530 version instead. Its the same form factor but has slightly better sound dampening, the RGB ring around the outside of the chasis, and swaps the Kailh browns for genuine Cherry Browns. For me the jump wasn't necessary but if you're gonna be using it as your sole board it might be worth it.

My only problem with the game-only key controllers is just that yu have to take your hands off them to type on your regular board so they dont really save any space (and can actually add clutter). The quality of them is fine. I really liked my old Nostromo (which Razer now sells as the Tartarus, with some minor updates), but the constant having to swap back to my keyboard constantly just made it a little too inconvenient. Maybe if you went all the way down to a 60% board, so you could have the left-hand board right next to the keyboard and the mouse close on the other side so your arms werent splayed too wide...

But i'd rather just get a good TKL and call it a day.

[loren]

Great to hear you're enjoying your keyboard

To me, keyboard is mostly personal preferences. I tend to press the wrong key in a keyboard I'm not familiar with, especially with a different switch. I know red switch is the fastest but I love how blue feels. I've bought a few red switch keyboard in the past because everyone was telling me "it's good for fast reactions" but I just couldn't get used to it.

I guess it's too late now, but I just saw a list of most used keyboard among pro players if anyone else is interested.

[karl47]

I would recommend the Kasonic gaming keyboard, a very comfortable keyboard with cool backlighting