Best Gaming Keyboard?

X6 did come out first, and has some features that the X4 doesn't (and vice versa for that matter) but the X4 is actually the better board.

Look around, it can be had much cheaper than OcUK stock it for.

If it were my money I'd go for the X4 of the V5 :)
 
Having the best gaming keyboard is necessarily going to make you a better player.

Any gaming keyboard will do. Logitech or Razer is a safe bet... but other KBs will be just as good.
A good mouse is far more important imo.
 
ShaolinDreams said:
Having the best gaming keyboard is necessarily going to make you a better player.

Any gaming keyboard will do. Logitech or Razer is a safe bet... but other KBs will be just as good.
A good mouse is far more important imo.
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I'm not so sure, I've played on a £10 mouse all my competitive career, never had an issue :p

A4Tech X7-48. Changed the DPI to whats "perfect" for my FOV, res and 180 degree movement, and off I went.
 
I've got an X6 and love it. The dials for backlight dimming and volume control sold it for me over the X4 (just wish the dials were a little smaller). Oh and I use the removable keypad gimmick, er I mean essential feature, much more than I thought I would. I usually keep it removed as it allows my WASD and mouse to be closer together which I find more comfortable. I only really click the keypad on for calculator and excel :). Oh and I've never yet reached my simultaneous button pressing limit, whatever that might be. That includes my fetish for playing SFII entirely on the keyboard (sick, I know) and doing 360degree rotation + three button special moves :)
 
ShaolinDreams said:
Having the best gaming keyboard is necessarily going to make you a better player.
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?:confused:? Assume you mean "isn't" and, of course, but it will considerably help gaming in the dark, look pretty and make my desk a better place.

ShaolinDreams said:
Any gaming keyboard will do. Logitech or Razer is a safe bet... but other KBs will be just as good.
A good mouse is far more important imo.
Click to expand...

That's like saying any graphics card will do. AMD or Nvidia are a safe bet :) I thought this was an enthusiast forum. I already have a good mouse, my excellent keyboard is dying and is no longer made. Being used to a brillilant one I cannot go back to mediocrity.

And yes you would think any keyboard by Logitech or Razer would do - they certainly should do at those prices but when you do a bit of digging, they don't:

The Logitech G19 costs £132 (yes just for a keyboard), reviewers report problems with the software and the screen, it might be too big for my desk and it needs it's own power supply! The top review on the Logitech site (yes on it's own website) states:
Worst keyboard by far
Date: March 4, 2011
By Alex
Overall Rating: 1 out of 5
Quality: 1 out of 5
Features: 1 out of 5
Performance: 1 out of 5
Ease of use: 1 out of 5
Ergonomics: 1 out of 5

So many bugs with its lcd screen and its stability overall.I wish i had read such a review so that i didn't have to spend my money on that "keyboard".
Technical Expertise: Proficient User
I've used this product: One month to a year
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The Razer Black Widow Expert Gaming Keyboard doesn't even have a backlight, which I need, the Razer Black Widow Ultimate does but may only have 2 key rollover and the F key clusters are too close together - I need F5 quicksave, F9 quickload, and there's no proper space between them on a £123 board!

MErc Stealth looks brilliant but it's too long for my (admittedly rubbish) pull-out desk, Roccat Valo sounds great at first but has some of the worst reviews I have ever seen, V5 has loads of great backlights but looks like a 1970's sci-fi keyboard, etc. etc.

X4 and Steelseries the early frontrunners but I don't trust gaming keyboard hype anymore so the search continues, I will revert with results (or when I've figured out what 'filcos with browns' means). Thanks again for all the info everyone.
 
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Rezident said:
or when I've figured out what 'filcos with browns' means).
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Check the link in my post above, Filco's are a make of keyboard and browns are a type of mechanical switch (a half way between the "gamer" blacks and the "typist" blues iirc).
 
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Coming from a saitek eclipse myself I wanted something comfortable and backlit. I looked at the Roccat valo but read stories of loud whining from the backlight system. In the end went for the Logitech G510.

Excellent keyboard IMHO. I'm really fussy when it comes to changing keyboards and mice as I get so used to a particular thing and how it feels. The 510 feels perfect though and logitech's warranty is pretty awesome.
 
Rezident said:
?:confused:? Assume you mean "isn't" and, of course, but it will considerably help gaming in the dark, look pretty and make my desk a better place.



That's like saying any graphics card will do. AMD or Nvidia are a safe bet :) I thought this was an enthusiast forum. I already have a good mouse, my excellent keyboard is dying and is no longer made. Being used to a brillilant one I cannot go back to mediocrity.

And yes you would think any keyboard by Logitech or Razer would do - they certainly should do at those prices but when you do a bit of digging, they don't:

The Logitech G19 costs £132 (yes just for a keyboard), reviewers report problems with the software and the screen, it might be too big for my desk and it needs it's own power supply! The top review on the Logitech site (yes on it's own website) states:


The Razer Black Widow Expert Gaming Keyboard doesn't even have a backlight, which I need, the Razer Black Widow Ultimate does but may only have 2 key rollover and the F key clusters are too close together - I need F5 quicksave, F9 quickload, and there's no proper space between them on a £123 board!

MErc Stealth looks brilliant but it's too long for my (admittedly rubbish) pull-out desk, Roccat Valo sounds great at first but has some of the worst reviews I have ever seen, V5 has loads of great backlights but looks like a 1970's sci-fi keyboard, etc. etc.

X4 and Steelseries the early frontrunners but I don't trust gaming keyboard hype anymore so the search continues, I will revert with results (or when I've figured out what 'filcos with browns' means). Thanks again for all the info everyone.
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mod your desk :p
 
Hzza said:
Check the link in my post above, Filco's are a make of keyboard and browns are a type of mechanical switch (a half way between the "gamer" blacks and the "typist" blues iirc).
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Correct. If you're mainly a typist, it's recommended to go with the blue switches. Between blue, black and brown switches, blue switches sit in the middle of how much force is required to depress them and activate the key stroke. They provide a tactile "bump" and an audible "click" when the keystroke registers to let you know that it has. Brown switches require the least amount of force and provide a tactile "bump" to let you know the key stroke has registered and black switches require the most amount of force, but do not provide a tactile bump or audible click when the key stroke is registered. They're "linear". So there's no acknowledgement that the keystroke has registered before they bottom out (the key is completely depressed on it's given travel).

You can modify the switches to "ghetto" variations by replacing the springs in the switch with springs from another switch.

Both red and black switches are linear type switches, but they have different degrees of force required to depress the key. Switching the black spring with a brown spring changes the force required to depress the key, giving you the "ghetto" red. That was a common modification because a while back Cherry MX Red switch boards where difficult (and expensive) to come by. But due to demand a lot of companys have started producing red switch boards in the past few months.
 
Macros

What do people use Macros for in Gaming? And in what games?

Is it just MMOs? Can they be used in FPSs? I don't think I've ever used a macro in any game.
 
Keyboard macros are used to record a sequence of key presses to one key so you don't have to press a load of keys to carry out repetitive tasks. There's also macro profiles, so you can save different macro bindings for specific games.

I've never used them either, even on boards with the functionality.
 
R5GTT said:
Coming from a saitek eclipse myself I wanted something comfortable and backlit. I looked at the Roccat valo but read stories of loud whining from the backlight system. In the end went for the Logitech G510.

Excellent keyboard IMHO. I'm really fussy when it comes to changing keyboards and mice as I get so used to a particular thing and how it feels. The 510 feels perfect though and logitech's warranty is pretty awesome.
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Now this one looks interesting too. Pricey but it's got most of the things I'm looking for except USB ports. It's between this, the X4 and maybe Steelseries.
 
OK I have read a lot of reviews, tried to get through at least three reviews for each board plus some user feedback.

Razer Black Widow Ultimate does indeed look very good (and it's mechanical) but it just doesn't suit me as the F key clusters are too close together (F5/F9 quicksave/load, I like spaces there) and it has no NKRO (still fine for most gaming though) and it's pricey.

Lycosa is another fine option from Razer if the BWU is too expensive.

Logitech G19 is even more expensive (over €130 here!) has some awesome features and the best backlighting I've seen but there are some reported issues with the LCD display and it's huge and requires it's own power supply!

Gigabyte K8100 is a very interesting new offering and I wanted the yellow one, but alas they only do the plain black one with Euro key layout - red and yellow are US only . The programmable keys are also a little bit too far away from the normal keys but otherwise this is a very promising introduction from Gigabyte, the software looks excellent.

Cyborg V7 has variable backlights but I really don't like the design, it's a strange step backwards from the awesome Eclipse II IMHO.

Roccat Valo has some very impressive features and looks slick but the reviews and user experiences are shocking, seems to be serious issues there. Roccat has another board due out this year which sounds promising if they can sort the issues.

X4 looks the best budget board overall, very good features and a great price (under £35).

But I will be going with... *drum roll*... the Steelseries Merc Stealth. It does look unusual and many don't like the numberpad/arrow key cluster but I don't really use that. It has Red, Blue and Purple backlights (just like my Eclipse II), all the usual Macros (which I may start learning to use), two USB 2.0 ports (yay!) and mostly very positive feedback.

Thanks for all the info and suggestions.
 
Interesting choice - didn't see the Cyborg V5 being shortlisted though? :confused:

I'll await a review when you get the board :)
 
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