Illuminated Keyboard Selection Help

I have been looking for an illuminated keyboard to go with my m18x but I have no clue what would be a good choice. I am considering the alienware tactx but I am not sure if there is something better. I do not play games so it does not need to be gaming specific.

Any help is appreciated!

 

Personally I'm pretty fond of the Sidewinder X6, not just as a gaming keyboard - it has (to me) a really nice break and landing feel, and to me is superior to mechanical switches in feel (once again, to me - but it's fair to say I'm in current and prior possession of waaaaaaaaaay more mechanicals than most) especially when you're typing fast. You get media controls, and if you don't need the gaming features you just don't bother installing Intellitype.

You can remove the number pad to run 'tenkeyless' if you want something more compact, or put the numberpad on the 'wrong' side.

 

I'd suggest the mionix zibal 60, mechanical keyboard with backlight, made for gamers but doesn't necessarily looks like gaming gear, acts as a pass through/ports for usb and speaker line in/outs as an option.

 

While that keyboard is great, it is quite expensive so i'd advise against it unless the OP is ready to drop $150 on a keyboard. Also it uses MX black switches which aren't the best for typing.

 

Some people really like to type on MX Black

I have not tried it, but the MX Reds type great for me which are similar just lighter press.

I see no reason to toss out expensive mech keyboard recommendation to the OP though since they are not after anything specific.

Id save mech for people needing to on up typing or durability quality.

That said many more backlight mech are out there now than there was a year ago when it was pretty rare, I think they are starting to get more popular.

 

Yeah, they are starting to get popular and i do enjoy my zibal 60 a lot, but i think $150 for a keyboard is a steep price for most people. I don't have anything against recommending it, but i think it's best to mention the steep price when recommending a keyboard like the zibal 60. Personally, i feel like black switches would tire my hands if i were to type for a couple of hours non stop on it, but the typing feel and experience is something very dependent on the person using it.

One thing i really like about the zibal is that the backlighting isn't overly strong like on the razer black widow ultimate.

 

Well, if you want it, you want it.

I'm finally in the process of retiring all of my mechs - reds, blues, browns, blacks, Topres - either a getting rid of or deep storage, just don't see the point of them especially for typing duties. Just come off two weeks exclusively on reds onto my well-worn Sidewinder X6's, and it's like my fingers have come home to a lovely pair of comfy slippers, which actually allows me to walk faster

I guess it really depends on how big a deal a $100-$300 keyboard is to you. To me it's nothing, so I tend to take quite a dispassionate look at the benefits of each. I realise others will feel different.

 

^ Send me a PM if you're going to sell them, I'll buy them off you perhaps.

Illuminated keyboards are easy to find, you can find them in the $40 range.

 

How about the Razer keyboards?

 

They have some quality control issues. Mine is working perfectly, but it hasn't been the same for others so it's a bit hit or miss, at least when it comes to the black widow, not sure about the lycosa.

 

I guess I'm not too particular about the price of peripherals nowadays, I mean logitech gaming keyboards are roughly the same price range at 100+ usd and the OP having an alienware tactx being slightly cheaper than the zibal (I think 99$ new, maybe cheaper if you look harder while the zibal being 130-150$ last time i checked).

I kinda assumed price of the zibal would be in range, comes down to it though as the op checks out the prices of each item suggested it'll be his discretion to buy which one but knowing there are these kind of options is invaluable even if it wasn't bought

I mean my first introduction to mech keyboards was in the same way, someone suggested a ducky/filco alternative over a logitech gaming keyboard I was looking at and was more expensive, learned about it and I did the investment and never looked back

 

I guess relative ignorance is bliss in that respect. If one of the worse rubber-domes was all I had and then I'd moved to a mech, I might feel like it was a definitive upgrade. For me though, although I'm sort of happy I revisited the experience in a more educated way (instead of just using, and complaining about, mech keyboards in the 80's and 90's without knowing the underlying tech of each board I was on) I can only say I've basically thrown several thousand dollars down "the black hole of trying tech" in the end. I'll hang onto some of my mechs, but I've finally decided to make the change and just ordered more domes - specifically the Sidewinders - to help replace all of the mechs (a mix of Filco's, Topres and a couple of the new Corsair's) I've got out in use right now.

Oh yes, one other potential choice if you're not going to be doing any gaming - while I don't rate their gaming keyboards at all, the Logitech Illuminated is IMO hands down one of the best desktop keyboards you can buy in terms of typing (ability to only recognise 2-3 keys held down at a time across the entire keyboard excludes gaming use). It's a scissor keyboard and has a great key break / landing feel for very fast typing. The white backlighting may not be what you're looking for in a keyboard if you're looking at Razer though...

 

I will have to look at the logitech... I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I like the fact that the alienware can change color to match the laptop keyboard. Are there any others that you can change the key colors?

 

I like the old g15 !

 

bleh 10char

 

Try Logitech's Ilumminated keyboard. No that's the name of the board. Really. It's also one of the best rated keyboards on Amazon. Beat only by it's wireless version. It's the one I use on my desktop.

 

If you want to go full barfing rainbows, there's the Luxeed Rama...
Luxeed raMa Series Individually Programmable LED Keyboard w/ MuSkin™ - White Products Model: LUXEED-raMa-WT [LUXEED-RAMA-WT] : Performance-PCs.com, ... sleeve it and they will come