Looking for a mechanical keyboard for gaming

grrsona

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Feb 13, 2014
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I am looking for a mechanical keyboard, but there are so many options. I prob want Cherry, but they range from 40-200
I want a good keyboard, but trying to keep it cheap, i just do not know what is reliable or not.
 
Well, getting mechanical basically means it will be reliable - it's practically part of the definition. If you're looking for a less expensive KB, I've got a Coolermaster Quickfire Rapid, which retails for about $90 CAD (You will be extremely unlikely to find anything below $70 CAD). It doesn't have 10-key or backlighting, but a 10-keypad costs $3 on ebay.

It uses MX cherry blue - clicky, low resistance. They're good for typing, if you want it 99% for gaming, try reds, and if sound is an issue try browns.

My only gripe with the keyboard is how quickly the paint wore and CM's terrible customer service. The thing still works though, and I've had it probably 2 years now. I also somewhat dislike the separate 10key, but that's something you'll have to evaluate for yourself.

http://www.coolermaster.com/peripheral/keyboards/quickfirerapid/

TLDR: If it's mechanical and you don't have to worry about backlighting, by definition it's basically reliable. Here's one that's cheaper and seems to work well enough. Mileage will vary.
 

grrsona

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Feb 13, 2014
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It is 100% for gaming.
Whats the difference between a $60 and a $200 keyboard if they both have red cherry
 


So, red is extremely low resistance. Keep in mind if schoolwork or something is happening it's not the best typing option. Anyhow, with that said.... mostly brand and a few others:

- Software/Remap. Some keyboards support this. The CM I mentioned doesn't (it has a red variant, btw).
- Brand. Razer lieks money. Mionix, Roccat, and CM tend to be more reasonably priced.
- Lighting. Backlight, or god forbid, colour LED. That's a huge price hiker.
- Warranty. Logitech has a great warranty, others are... well, again, they'll vary.

Customer service will vary, and things like paint will as well... my CM started peeling after 3 months. However, the fundamentals, the keys, switches, and mechanism are basically bulletproof if any sort of care has gone into it.

For cables and whatnot, if they need replacing, keep in mind ebay. My CM is currently hooked up to my PC with a mini-micro adapter and a 10' microusb from ebay... $5 between them.

The core featureset is always about $90-$100. IF you want a mech, with a specific kind of switch and no bells or whistles, you'll get what you need at that price without issue. For switches, do some reading and make sure there's a return policy. Could take you a few to hit on the type you like - my first was browns. Blegh. Blue is where it's at for me.
 

grrsona

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Feb 13, 2014
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If I am doing exclusively gaming, red? I will also be writing essays and the like but I am used to doing that on a $5 keyboard

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00UBQZPXK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481491588&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=rosewill+rk-9000v2+red+cherry
How is this?
 


I'd see if a store has it first for demo purposes (or rather, a kb with that switch type), but it's highly reviewed and comes from an established brand. I don't see an issue with it.

The only reason I mention typing is because reds are such low resistance, they can result in a lot of typos if you're not just aiming to hit WASD. Either way, I'd suggest finding a flavour of the cherry switches you like and opting for that.
 

grrsona

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Feb 13, 2014
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Okay, I am making a trip to Best Buy right now, and assuming they don't know anything, what are the different types of switches for a cherry red? I don't know anything, what switch should I test to see what buying the one I linked would be like? Which other kinds of keys should I test? What are the different keys? Lol
 
Cherry is based on colour.

MX-
Blue - low-med resistance, clicky, audio feedback
Brown - med resistance, clicky, silent
Red - low resistance, non-clicky, silent
Black - high resistance, non-clicky, silent

See here for GIF representations:
http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2012/12/an-introduction-to-cherry-mx-mechanical-switches/

I may be forgetting some, but those are the key types. Best for FPS and gaming is blue or red. You'll find it's a matter of taste though. Logitech and Razer both have their own thing going switch-wise.
 

grrsona

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Feb 13, 2014
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How is this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1ZZ3RP8443&cm_re=mechanical_keyboards-_-9SIA1ZZ3RP8443-_-Product
They are alot cheaper
 

DSzymborski

Curmudgeon Pursuivant
Moderator


A mechanical keyboard with no information as to the brand of the switches, from an almost completely unknown manufacturer, better be damn cheap. This one isn't. Just looking at Cherry switches, Newegg has 11 keyboard between $75-$100 with Blue, 16 with Brown, and 27 with Red. Another 5 have Kalih switches. And there are a number of Razer options. No reason whatsoever to go with some mystery off-brand in this price bracket.
 

grrsona

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Feb 13, 2014
339
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10,780

Haha thankyou. What is your recommendation? There is a lot of variety
as well as this on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Razer-BlackWidow-Ultimate-2016-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard-RZ03-01700200-/381741980709?hash=item58e1985c25:g:xpAAAOSwIgNXvZx4