Gaming keyboards.... Any good..?

That X4 looks nice. I'm getting tired of my wireless keyboard and mouse - logitech MX1000 set I think. Haven't really had any problems but they always run our of batteries at the crucial moment! I always forget to charge the batteries the night I see it flashing red, just another PITA.

They would make my desk look neat, if there wasn't heaps of other junk on it anyway.
 
Think i might join the x4 club instead of going for a G15, half the price and does the same kinda job by the looks of it. How many macro keys does this have though?
 
Haven't read the whole thread but these are my opinions.

Gaming mouse have a massive advantage if you play fps, precision, speed, tracking and smoothness are a massive gain in games like this, if you play mmo then not so much.

wireless mice used to have input lag noticeable in fps, not so sure about todays though id wager youd have to spend a decent amount to get a wireless mouse that is adequate, again mmos etc not so much an issue.

wireless keyboards dont suffer any of these issues, they are just the same as there wired variants, that or a wired mouse with such speed and precision has done a very good job of compensating for any issues that may have been there.

Gaming keyboards, they look pretty.... usually, some have macros options and or lcd displays but essentially the keyboard function is the same, tactile preference may have you lean either way to a favorite but but for fps ive never noticed a gain when i moved from my dell keyboard to a razor tarantula, mmos would benefit form the macros keys on gaming keyboards i suppose but that all down tot he user and if they would take advantage of that feature.
This being said i opted for a third option, i got my self a belkin n52te speed pad, i use arrow keys instead of wasd and got sick of pulling my keyboard backwards and forewords across my desk, this pad is much smaller and fits my needs perfectly, im downgrading my keyboard to a mini keyboard with no num pad or center keys between so my decision comes down to orientation and space alone, i plan to upgrade to the logitech version soon just because i like the look of it.

So in conclusion, you may notice gains from a gaming mouse but a keyboard not so much, get what you feel fits your desk best, can afford at the time and like the feel of, no other gains really unless you are in need of macros and that being said you can get a gaming mouse form razor with plenty on now.
 
Ok my MS sidewinder X4 keyboard has just turned up. I'm at work, sadly but I've taken a look and the keyboard looks like any other keyboard other then it has 6 macro buttons down the left side, other then this its a standard keyboard if you ask me..

It feels solid and it also has a decent length USB cable, I'll try it when I get home.

I'm really hoping getting a keyboard that doesn't see me pausing when trying to walk in FPS games etc means I can actaully use this gaming rig I've got.. Its really quite a shame that a system like mine isn't used much...

My PS3 is really good but seems stupid that I purchased a bucket load of cheap steam games onsale to then not play them...... Lets be honest, most PC games if they don't have native gamepad support need a keyboard and mouse...

So, lets see if this gets me back into some PC gaming.....
 
redshadows said:
A x6 and an x8 from microsoft, cant really go wrong.
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Whilst the X6 is a nice keyboard, it's incredibly easy to hit Caps instead of "A". I'm not sure what it is, but I'll be halfway through a sentence before realising I'm typing in caps instead of hitting "a" at the beginning :/

Apart from that, it's great - though I've never actually used any of the macro features :p
 
SPARC said:
Can I request pics ?
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You may.. When I get it hooked up later today I'll post some pics, as apparently the keys light up in red. Would have preferred some blue lights but can always turn them off if I don't like it.

Anyhow, I've got it as I want to play Mass Effect 1 & 2. So key colour isn't important, what is important is being able to use WSAD without stuttering.. lol

TBH can't wait to get home and test it out... :p
 
I've got a G15 (rev1 because the blue is sexeh!) and it's just one of those luxuries that is nice to have but really not all that special. Any wired keyboard is fine but I do kinda like having the LCD display where I can put up cpu monitoring stuff, or see who is talking on Mumble. I've had it a couple of years and haven't even touched the macro stuff.

Not worth the money but nice to have if you can afford it, if that makes sense.
 
I'm sorry theres no way a generic keyboard is better than a G15 for anything.

Of course, you should stay away from bad cheap "gaming" stuff though as it's usually bad.
 
I purchased a Saitek rumble gamepad back in the days the PC didn't really have anything like the 360 controller etc... Was meant to be a better pad then the MS sidewinder (which IMO was a fantastic gamepad for its time).

I never did get the rumble to work correctly, the few games back in 1996 /8that would have used it, never worked.

I also like an idiot purchased a Saitek cyborg left handed joystick, I was at the time trying to get into Apache Longbow so thought a joystick would help..

The build quality of the stick was fine, I just never managed to get Windows 95 to see it correctly, this was back in the days of using the midi port on the back of a sound card as a gameport.. Man, that was frustrating.. I think I finally got it to work when I upgraded to Windows 98, but by then flight sims were well over for me.... Too complex lol.

Never had much luck with Saitek kit TBH. I've had a lot of fun with Microsoft Hardware, reason I'm so puzzled as to why the wireless keyboard and mouse I got hasn't worked.. MS normally do decent hardware. Strange, I still think I was getting interference somewhere. wireless shouldn't lag as much as I was getting..

Lets see how the MS Sidewinder X4 fairs...
 
matt_fsr said:
My keyboard cost £6 in 2002, is beige and fading. And its PS/2. :(
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If it works... lol PS/2. I'm not even sure my motherboard has PS/2.. You know, I've never looked for it, I bet it doesn't..

Can't even remember the last time I used PS/2. Even at work, and we have some really old kit kicking around.. lol

Ok google searching my own motherboard - Asus P7P55D and does have PS/2. Man, just shows how much I care about that feature.. lol
 
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If you want a gaming keyboard, go for a Razer Lycosa. It's a much better allrounder when it comes to everyday use AND gaming.

As soon as I have enough monies I'll be swapping my G11 for one :)
 
iv-tecman said:
Ok google searching my own motherboard - Asus P7P55D and does have PS/2. Man, just shows how much I care about that feature.. lol
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Heh. I just use it because it has the best 'touch' of any keyboard I've used, though I havent used any proper gaming keyboards. Some things I just cant justify spending silly money on! :p

*fitted GTX460 last night* < More fun than a new keyboard.
 
matt_fsr said:
Heh. I just use it because it has the best 'touch' of any keyboard I've used, though I havent used any proper gaming keyboards. Some things I just cant justify spending silly money on! :p

*fitted GTX460 last night* < More fun than a new keyboard.
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:D enjoy your new gaphics card... hope you use it more then i have my ATI 5870... lol had this card for well over six months now, and its been used to play Metro 2033 and a quick few goes at bioshock 2 (which I tried to play using a gamepad - big mistake)... What a waste, so if getting a new keyboard means i can start to enjoy fps etc then it might be worth the £30 outlay considering I paid £300 for the video card some months ago... Sheesh, has to be the first gaming rig I've ever built that hasn't been used much.

I wait for everyone to call me an idiot.. lol
 
matt_fsr said:
My keyboard cost £6 in 2002, is beige and fading. And its PS/2. :(
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As I said previously gaming keyboards do not make that much difference apart from macro capability.

After recieving my steel series stealth merc, I am now seeing getting a decent gaming keyboard as about as useful for gaming as upgrading from 8mb ram to 12mb ram. Kind of feels cool and maybe makes a very small difference, but not really worth the dosh :(
 
H2F Scott said:
They're pretty expensive but I imagine it's the only keyboard you'll ever need to buy since mechanical ones last so long.
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I notice Razer are releasing a mechanical keyboard for £120

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-054-RA&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=1258

Now mechnical keyboards last for years, but some razer products have gained a reputation for breaking down after a few months so i'm wondering if it's worth spending £120 on this keyboard?
 
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