What is so good about gaming keyboards?

dan958

dan958

dan958

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Hi,

I am just wondering what is so good about gaming keyboards?

A normal keyboard VS a gaming keyboard VS a mechanical gaming keyboard?

I'm worried a mechanical keyboard wouldn't be good for me, since I do play a lot of games, but I also do a lot of writing - are they good for writing? (not noisy)

Thanks
 
I just got a Corsair K70 to replace an Enermax Aurora that used a scissor key mechanism.

Went for the Corsair because it has an aluminium base like the Enermax and looks like a quality piece of kit. I was able to test the mechanism in a shop before I purchased and was happy with the key action.

In use for gaming it is fine because of the light key action. For typing it is slightly different as the actuation point is before the key hits bottom. I quite often at present capitalise two letters at the start of sentences and sometimes letters come out in the wrong order! Sure this is just a slight learning curve though!

Noise wise there is a bit of a clack but it's not too bad or obtrusive in my opinion if you are not hammering the keys when typing.
 
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I made the switch to a mech keyboard a few months back and can say I'll never look back! I think for the amount of time I spend on the keyboard £100 is definitely justifiable. If you can stretch your budget a bit I'd say a mech is definitely worth it. It will last you forever.

Have a look at this one. Ducky are great keyboards. Worth doing a bit of reading around different switch types before you purchase though.
 
dan958 said:
I'm looking to spend as little as possible. I don't really want to spend £100+ on a keyboard.
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I didn't either but my Enermax lasted 8 years so it's not a massive investment in terms of use compared to a shiny new GPU that may only last 2 years for example.

Another thing I like about the Corsair is that the keys are not recessed, which should make keeping it clean much, much easier.
 
Nothing much. Mechanical keyboards were the norm 20 years ago and didn't cost anything like most do now. They went out of fashion due to how damn noisy they were. (plus they do cost more to make, so profit margins were higher with membrane) I've got a couple of mechanical keyboards one with cherry black switches and another with buckling spring and i don't much like either of them. Nice enough to use but far too noisy. I've been using the same membrane keyboard for ages, not had any issues and much prefer it. (apple pro from a G4) It's a very nice shape which makes it comfortable to use, has the sturdiest back raise i've seen, has a usb hub built in and volume keys. (shame the hub is 1.1a and some of the keys don't match up, still works as it should though)
 
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dan958 said:
Why wouldn't you go back? What is so special about it that you want to pay £100+

I'm just trying to find out what benefits they have.
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Well for me personally the Keyboard has a better "feel" ..it's more responsive , smoother to use ie I can type faster ...just a better overall feel altogether...in fact I went back to my old keyboard with a plan to use it for a day...to see if there was any difference using it , the plan lasted about 20 minutes ...it was almost like i couldn't even feel the keys pressing down under my fingers

And as goes noisy keys ?...It's not been an issue for me, but others may feel differently.

and it looks good too...cos at over £100 i expect good looks :)

but i suppose a Keyboard is a personal thing
 
What is so good about gaming keyboards?
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Mainly Key Ghosting, macros. Key ghosting being the big one, as it's a no-no in gaming keyboard, if there are key combinations that wont work. Typing, you never really need to press complicated key combinations (except modifiers like shift and control), when gaming, you do.

You can get a non-gaming mechanical keyboard that will do the job fine, they use 'typing' mechanisms, like MX Blue and Brown, gaming keyboards often they use a different mechanical key type which are more responsive (MX Red, MX Black).

Corsair has the K30 keyboard. It's a K70 with rubber domes, so same quality and looks, illuminated, but cheaper.

Illumination adds £20 to £30 to the price of a keyboard. Mechanical keys adds £30 to £50 to a keyboard.
 
dan958 said:
Why wouldn't you go back? What is so special about it that you want to pay £100+

I'm just trying to find out what benefits they have.
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I bought a Cooler Master Storm Quickfire TKL brown switch keyboard, had it for 4 days now. I started off feeling that it was a downgrade on my old $10 MS membrane keyboard, and now I am simply non-plussed. Build quality is excellent, but I just don't see what the big deal is.

Okay, I haven't gotten used to it yet, but for me it hasn't been some earth shattering revelation... like going from ball mouse to optical mouse was for instance.

My advice is to find a mech keyboard in a shop that you can try out before ordering one. A lot of people seem to adore them, but if that is not you then you'll save a lot of money by avoiding switches.

Good luck on your decision, let us know what you choose.
 
If you're not going mechanical (which, based on experience, is about the only thing that really makes any difference), then any old thing will do....

Happily using a FILCO mechanical board here and can't see it changing any time soon. Heck, if it completely broke I'd spend £120 on a new one in a heartbeat. That said, it's so study that I expect it will last an extremely long time, unlike any of my previous non-mechanical boards, which go soft and squishier over time.
 
Thanks for all your input. I think at this time I will just stick with my cheap one. I cannot justify the money of a mechanical keyboard. I may try and find a PC shop that sells them and try them out in the future to see if it is something I like.
 
dan958 said:
Thanks for all your input. I think at this time I will just stick with my cheap one. I cannot justify the money of a mechanical keyboard. I may try and find a PC shop that sells them and try them out in the future to see if it is something I like.
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I would very much recommend trying them out before making the plunge. You can find them in some of the larger PC stores.

They are a joy to use for both typing and gaming but if you do a lot of typing, you may have to forfeit a more gaming type of switch, ie black.

The main benefit of them is that the key is activated before you bottom out the key, so they are quicker for gaming and typing, though with typing, you may make a few errors before you get used to it. It took me a few months to get used to typing on it without making errors.
 
dan958 said:
Hi,

I am just wondering what is so good about gaming keyboards?

A normal keyboard VS a gaming keyboard VS a mechanical gaming keyboard?

I'm worried a mechanical keyboard wouldn't be good for me, since I do play a lot of games, but I also do a lot of writing - are they good for writing? (not noisy)

Thanks
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I would say gaming keyboards are those keyboards with extra buttons, so yeah a gaming keyboard would be good if you play MMORPGs all the time.

Now normal vs mechanical is purely on the feel, as in how comfortable the keyboard is to use. So since most people say they can't go back after using mechanical, its probably a valid reason to get a mechanical one.
 
a mechanical keyboard will revolutionize the way you interact with your system.


if you do a lot of typing, a mechanical board will really assist you.
 
I thought mech boards are pretty much a "Gimmick" before I bought one with brown switches.

I used to have a G15 (First gen) that had some kind of special switches, but after it broke down, I moved to a normal "membrane"-one. The change there already felt huge (for the worse), but I had forgotten about it for a while.

Then I decided to try a G710+, and after a few days there is no going back. Never a membrane board again!

I still gotta use one at work though and that's annoying.

Try a mech one for a week if you can, you will love it.
 
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