which keyboard for gaming?

Hey guys,

Getting my m15x soon, and I don't have the money right now exactly, but thinking of getting a 22 inch screen/sound system/keyboard. I've already picked out the screen and sound system, just need to figure out which keyboard to get. Any advice on this? I've looked at the Alienware TactX keyboard, but I can't find a good review on it anywhere... Otherwise I'm kinda clueless :/ I wouldnt really like to spend an exorbitant amount of money on a keyboard, but its for gaming so I'd like it to have a nice look and feel regardless.

 

Go for a logitech G-15, or Logitech Gaming keyboard. I have a Alienware TactX Keyboard, I paid $50.00 on sell, I have two G-15's, I like Logitech. The Tactx is ok, but for the price, you will like the Logitech.

 

If you get the G15, don't expect the keys to feel any different from a $5 off-brand keyboard. The LCD display is neat, if you get any use out of it.

Check out the Razer BlackWidow, a mechanical gaming keyboard. They've got a more expensive Ultimate Edition which has backlights and extra ports, as well as a cheaper normal version.

 

Gaming keyboards don't really matter that much. All that really matters is that there's no input lag.

I'm currently using an old Dell multimedia keyboard (sleek and sexy) with an Alienware Tactx mouse. Invest more in your mouse rather that on your keyboard

 

There is absolutely no comparison, the blackwindow by razer

 

Ewww. Rubber dome keyboards.

Do yourself a favor and get a mechanical keyboard.

 

Agreed.

As an alternative to a full gaming keyboard, you can keep your "normal" keyboard and get a gaming-grade keypad like the Belkin/Razer N52TE:



Or the Logitech G13:



I have the N52TE, and I couldn't be happier with it. It molds to your left hand perfectly, and the grip is adjustable to a limited degree. The key response is solid, and everything is perfectly placed. 15 keys + the 8-way D-pad, the scroll wheel and the thumb button are enough for all the commands I use in any of the games I play, primarily first person shooters. Also, with the driver software, you can bind any of the keys or buttons to any key or macro you like, and you can store up to 3 profiles.

 

Agreed. Also worth considering is something that is comfortable. Performance isn't your foremost consideration for a keyboard. Typing feel + comfort is much more important.

Do elaborate.

 

heh well im not aware of any other mechanical keyboards, thats what I would get if I was looking for a keyboard. Mastershroom makes a good point about the belkin n52te though, I wouldnt mind giving that a shot either.

As It stands now for me, typing is a horrible pain. Iv got this slow unreponisive old kb at the moment and a half broken laptop kb lol. So do your self a favor and get a nice mechanical one if you can!

 

.........................

*recovers*


Link, please read it.

 

Das also makes some highly regarded mechanical keyboards, although they cost a pretty penny:

Das Keyboard: The mechanical keyboard that clicks

Some other popular mechanical keyboards come from Filco, Deck, SteelSeries, Cherry, Ione, and Topre. Most use some form of Cherry MX mechanism, and some use buckling springs, and IIRC the Topre models use a proprietary capacitive design.

EDIT - I typed this up and left for 20 minutes, forgot to post it first. I come back and posted, and Johnny did my work for me. >_<

 

Mechanical keyboards are very cool, but you have to be careful. If you are just using it for gaming it would be ok, but they are well known for causing wrist and joint issues.
The first G15 is in my opinion the best keyboards ever made. The "click" feels great, the screen is great, and once you get used to the macro keys, its hard to go back to a normal keyboard.

 

hmm I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount of choices, thanks for all the options guys

The belkin thing looks interesting, but I'm worried that its so different from a conventional keyboard. It looks like it would be great for an mmorpg or rts, but isnt it wierd playing a shooter without the "bottom left corner of the keyboard" feeling?

and the fact that it has a tilt... If someone who owns/has tried that custom gaming keyboard thingy could offer an opinion that would be great...

Like, how long it took to get used to fx

 

Since I started using the N52TE, it feels weird using a "normal" keyboard to game, and 99% of the games I play are first-person shooters.

The only thing you'll really have to adjust to is the position of the spacebar key; you'll have to extend your thumb a bit further than you would with a normal keyboard. Other than that, it doesn't really feel any different from a normal key layout.

 

I have it bookmarked, I check it every so often for new keyboards.

That's generalising abit much no? Considering how much different key switches varies in terms of feel and forces needed to trigger the key.

 

Not really. They are generally all the same. They may have different components, but there have been extensive studies that show that mechanical keyboards in general do more damage than rubber membrane keyboards.

 

I'd be very interested to see those studies.

 

I hadn't even heard of mechanical keyboard till razers blackwidow came out and a reviewer on youtube.

 

euw ... razer blackwindows

get a proper mechanical keyboard such as FILCO , DAS

 

Is razor's keyboard over rated?

 

It uses Cherry MX Blue switches, which some people think of as better for typing than for gaming, since it has a definite click point, while the Black switches, usually considered better for gaming, have a smoother action. On the other hand, people tend to prefer Blues for typing, so it's up to you, depending on whether you want a better typing experience or smoother strokes for games.

 

Maybe my experience can help you to scratch 1 keyboard of your list, eventhough it hasn't been mentioned yet :d

I am also in the market for a new keyboard, and bought myself a roccat valo keyboard for 95€. I prefer my 20€ cherry keyboard by far... The roccat has a wierd positionig of the keys, making you mistype all the time. Oh and the keys that you do press...only register half the time. I've sent it back and am now in doubt:

Should I take a logitech G510, or the razer blackwidow ultimate?

My personal pro's and con's.

The logitech has the small screen, the blackwidow doesnt.
The Blackwidow is mechanical, the Logitech isn't.

The blackwidow costs more, and isn't out yet...while I have a 95€ coupon just sitting there to be used.


Think I should pay +-40€ more for the mechanical razer keyboard that has no screen? Or is the mechanical design not worth the sacrifice of a screen and higher price?

 

Which cherry did you get? (Exact model number please? Label on the underside. )

 

I have to second the game controller. I use the Logitech G13 and will never game without it again.

 

The cherry G230. It works just fine for me, but by mentioning it I didn't mean to say its a 20€ keyboard that performas soooo good (eventhough it works perfectly), it just performs better than a horrible 95€ keyboard.

If I had the option of just having a refund I would probably not buy any new keyboard and use this one untill it breaks.

 

If you're already using a Cherry mechanical keyboard, then the G510 will feel like a significant step down from that. I'd go with the BlackWidow if I were you...honestly, you're not missing much with the screen. My G15 had one, and I never used it. It couldn't do anything that my second display couldn't.

If you're not already using multiple displays, do it. Get a cheap 15" monitor and put it somewhere next to your main display. Much better than a two-inch panel built into your keyboard.

 

The one he's using isn't mechanical.

Well at least it works right?

 

Whoops, didn't realize Cherry made rubber dome KB's.

Either way, my point stands. Superior key functionality > integrated LCD.

 

Oh they do many keyboards. Some good ones you can find on ebay for great prices (<$50).

 

I'll wait for the blackwidow then, the only thing that I don't like about it is its glossy finish though.

About your previous post, I have 2 monitors: the one of my laptop, and an external monitor.

I have no idea though how to use my laptop screen to display aditional info (don't judge ). The options I got are: using both screens displaying the same stuff, only using the external screen, or use one of both as an aditional monitor...where I can only see my background and where windows&others stuff that I opened go somethimes.

 

Open HWMonitor or Ventrilo or whatever else you want to monitor, and just drag the window to the other screen. When you play a fullscreen game, the other display will still have those windows open. It's handy for monitoring your temperatures or who's currently speaking in a Vent channel, or anything else you can think of.

 

I went with the logitech G510 afterall, postman delivered it this morning. I've only worked for about 15 mins with it but you could say my first impression is good.

I decided to buy this logitech because I didn't want to wait for the blackwidow, and mostly because it would cost me 30-40€ more. I know thats a small price difference but since the taxes send us a nice bill every € counts

Overall its types decently, I can't make any remarks (it just works, unlike my roccat valo), but I still find my cheap 20€ cherry keyboard to be more comfortable. Maybe i'll just have to get used to this. I haven't gamed with this keyboard yet so maybe the space between the keys will prove itself usefull. I know that before I got the cherry keyboard I always prefered keyboards with space between the keys.

I definitly like the multimedia keys, and the lcd panel...ok I didn't need it but its so handy. It displays all the info I need (ram & cpu usage, date & time, etc) so I don't have to use any software or use dual screens (the screen of my laptop is dying anyway).

About the backlighting, I really like the fact that you can chose different colours, but frankly, I only use the white colour. The lights are sufficiently bright, but when you compare youtube vids, it seems the razer blackwidow is way waaaay more brighter (I kinda wanted it to light my entire room ). But the lights are definitly better than the ones in the roccat valo keyboard. Its also quite remarkable that you don't see any lights around the keys, each lighted key is perfectly isolated which gives it a more professional look.

I think I made the right choice, because aside from the looks and the mechanical keys, this keyboard seems to offer more multimedia keys (great for lazy people like me), and I already know I won't be able to miss the lcd screen.