Best Gaming Keyboard

[jeremymh]

I am up in the air trying to decide on a good gaming keyboard. I have always used the Logitech brand keyboards and my last keyboard was the Logitech G15 which I liked. I am now find out there everyone is recommending mechanical keyboards so I am now just finding out about these specific ones. The current keyboard I am looking at is the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 or the Logitech G510. What direction would you suggest and are all mechanical keyboards loud? Will I notice a major difference? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[andrewcarr]

I have a mechanical keyboard and really like it. Only thing I'd recommend is getting the stealth version directly from razer so you have the nice keys and they're not as obnoxiously loud.

 

[aramisathei]

http://www.maxkeyboard.com isn't as well known as some of the major manufacturers, but they have some amazing keyboards.

You can even have them custom designed.
I have a Nighthawk X8 and it by far the best keyboard I've ever owned.

You can usually get a nice discount by following them on either Facebook or Twitter.
Can always unfollow after if you don't like their content.

I've heard of Ducky keyboards (can't pull up the link at work) which are supposed to be pretty high quality too. My personal endorsement is with Maxkeyboards, but shop around and find the best price/customer service reps. Could always get a discount just by asking.

 

[ssddx]

mechanical keyboards are much more precise than typical rubber dome keyboards. they also do not feel spongy like some.

read the mechanical keyboard guide on hardforums (search google) for what type of keyswitch you want.

generally speaking blues are good for typing, blacks for gaming. i think browns are blues without the audible noise but check on this.

not all mechanical keyswitches are loud. only the ones with audible feedback make alot of noise. you can install rubber o ring dampers under the keys if even the mechanical action noise is too much. wasd keyboards does this for a slight charge.

brands?

wasd, unicomp, das, deck, ducky are all good quality manufacturers. i just bought a wasd keyboard and so far it works good. the benefit of wasd is lower costs than some other quality manufacturers and more choice (ie, you can pick your keyswitch types and add o-rings to them) or even custom design keys which they print.

 

[jeremymh]

So if you guys were me would you stick with a Logitech G510 or go straight mechanical from Razer or another company? Want something backlit and something that will have many options and great performance. Any suggestions helps me out!

 

[aramisathei]

So if you guys were me would you stick with a Logitech G510 or go straight mechanical from Razer or another company? Want something backlit and something that will have many options and great performance. Any suggestions helps me out!

Personally I'd go with Maxkeyboard, but as long as it's a mechnical, and you understand the difference between key types, most of the manufacturers recommended will work.

Look for whichever has your preferred feature-set at the best price, and then read a couple reviews to make sure there aren't any glaring issues.

 

[ssddx]

logitech rubber dome keyboards are well made and do last quite awhile. the keys are more soft touch then other brands however they are not the same as mechanical keys. keep in mind, some people prefer rubber dome over mechanical, some people prefer mechanical with rubber o-rings, some prefer laptop scissor switches (a cross between the two sort of) and some prefer straight mechanical boards.

i would highly suggest at least trying out some switch types in a store even if you will buy a different model. this will give you a good basis to judge.

the razer keyboards do have some issues. no ps2 support and i believe they use an anti-ghosting matrix instead of true nkro. they will work fine most of the time, just realize you are paying top dollar price for a mid level product.

 

[andrewcarr]

This is what toms said about the razer blackwidow for ghosting.
"The BlackWidow had almost no trouble in this test. We say almost because the board has a specific gaming mode. When that isn't activated, it can be tripped up. The only advantage to using standard mode is that the Windows key remains enabled, so we'd be inclined to leave gaming mode on most of the time. With it active, we ran into zero issues with ghosting and observed 12-key rollover, even though Razer only claims 10-key performance. These impressive results certainly support the enthusiasm surrounding mechanical keyboards right now."
Taken from this article http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/g9x-blackwidow-tournament-edition-lan-party,3359.html on the 5th page.

I also own this keyboard and haven't had any ghosting problems.

 

[rwpritchett]

Another endorsement for Maxkeyboard. I've got X8 and X9 Nighthawks. They are one of the few USB keyboards that offer FULL NKRO. They also use Costar stabilizers for the big keys instead of Cherry stabilizers.

 

[BoltHead513]

i cant recommend the max keyboards because i havent used them, but i can recommend the blackwidow ultimate 2013. one annoyance i do have with it though is if you remove the keys for cleaning it voids the warranty. the mx blues are loud, so if you have someone sleeping in the same room it can become a nuisance. the backlight is green and can go so bright that will hurt your eyes and goes down to a very low glow. i personally am not a big fan of synapse 2.0 but i know a few people who love it

blackwidow ultimate 2013- my 2 cents

 

[AeroVanMan]

I would suggest taking a look at the Corsair K70 and Corsair K95 mechanical gaming keyboards.