Quiet keyboard/mouse for gaming

[ampedal]

Hi all,

I recently moved my computer into the bedroom and am finding the keyboard and mouse to be too loud while my girlfriend is sleeping...

I do a good amount of gaming, but have never owned a gaming keyboard. I do a lot of PvP in Warcraft / Darkfall, so it would be a nice bonus if I found something that would allow me to do bindings and/or macros.

I don't need wireless, and actually prefer not having to replace batteries.

My main concern is the volume of key presses and mouse clicks.

Price is not a huge concern, but I am a struggling developer and tend to do a lot of research before I buy.

Thanks for any guidance, I've only owned 3-4 keyboard/mouse sets in my life and don't know much about what's out there.

-Alex

 

[corbincorn]

Hey Alex,

I own a Microsoft Sidewinder X6 keyboard with the Sidewinder mouse. As far as the mouse goes, its very quit. Clicking isnt super loud and high pitched like most mice, especially after you "break it in".
As for the keyboard, you will always run into a slight sound issue with them because they have those metal bars under the space key, enter key, shift key, pretty much all the bigger keys and when that metal bar springs back up it is kinda loud. The problem is, seeing as how your a gamer, you want these metal bars for response. On WoW the jump key by default is space, you might want to remap that or something that way you dont have to be constantly tapping that guy.

Im sure if you took a few of your old keyboards apart and experimented with putting rubber pads or some sort of soft lining on the inside you could create a silent keyboard yourself.

After a quick google search I also came upon this.

 

[ampedal]

It would be nice if tom's did something like a comparison chart with Decibels.

Like list every major keyboard with the average Db. level next to each.

Meh, anyone know if something like this exists? (doubt it =(

 

[ampedal]

So I did some field research at Best Buy, and found that all of the Microsoft products seem to be the quietest.

As much as I hate to admit it, this attention to detail is particularly important to me.

I also found a $15 keyboard with slim-profile keys (very similar to a laptop) which seems to be a very quiet alternative to the expensive G15 etc.

If I were to purchase a standard keyboard, are there good options as far as a gaming pad? or something I could use to macro / bind like the G15 - with it being separate from the keyboard?

Thanks for any advice

 

[leokg21]

I ran into same problem that my roommate couldn't sleep because of the mouse clicking noise. I tried different mouses but it only help a little. Then I found out that putting a blanket over the mouse, and using it that way muffles most of the airborne mouse noise and makes it a lot less noticeable.

go check out quietmouse,com , its new quiet mouse supposed to be out in 2 months.
and silicone foldable Keyboard maybe the way to go if you want silent typing 😉

 

[ampedal]

Best answer selected by ampedal.

 

[SandyK]

I just bought a microsoft natural 7000 - the space bar is SO LOUD it wakes my husband in the next room. As I'm a real early bird blogger, and he likes to sleep in, you can imagine the delight this is causing! I paid nearly $150 for the mouse and KB combo so I don't want to ditch it, but if I could find a quieter alternative, I'd be getting out my credit card right now!

 

[lilywarrior]

I resolved my problem with the key board by buying a Microsoft Wired Keyboard 600. It was inexpensive and it hardly makes a sound. It doesn't bother my husband at all if he is napping on the day bed in our office which is next to my desk. Best of all, my friends haven't heard it over ventrillo. It has one problem that makes it uncomfortable at first and that is the space bar is almost flush with the casing. It took me a couple of days to get use to that, and now I don't notice it at all.

 

[James Olmstead]

The metal bars under shift/enter and spacebar are the worst culprits, but ironically they can typically be removed without consequence(other than perhaps a shortened lifespan and an occasional stuck key)
The only use for them seems to be to prevent the key from pivoting if you happen to hit it to either side, space bar flops around a little without it - presumably any keyboard with shortened keys(like a lap top) would likely use a quieter method than the bar

I propose also its your method of typing - my SOs typing is extremely loud but she got her typing talent from working in a call center with 100's of others.
Mine on the other hand is years of nerding experience, its slower and more methodical and I make contact with the keys prior to pressing rather than using the typical method with fingers on asdf/jkl; and hammering your fingers down in every direction

Sad thing is no easy fix for the way you were trained to type