New mechanical keyboard for gaming - Suggestions

Hi Guys,

Been looking for a while now and I still can't decide on what mechanical keyboard I should purchase.

I wanted to reach out to NBR for anyone's personal experience on the matter.

I was very close to buying the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate until I realized that half of the keys printed on the board are in lower case and half in upper and that the entire numerical row symbols have been flipped upside down; very odd design.

I'm mainly looking for a back-lit keyboard with good mechanical response, I don't mind cherry-blues as I have my headphones on most, if not all the time.

Well guys, any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

Hey, I think the Newegg brand, Rosewill, can be the answer for you because they have just pushed out ones with back light. About 80$ I think..

 

Corsair K90 all the way. I have the K60 myself as I don't like backlit keyboards and need no macros.

 

PM ViciousXUSMC here. He is an aficionado of mechanical keyboards and has owned numerous and done many reviews. He also seems well versed with the various Cherry keys (?) and various types and brands. He would be a good person to ask.

Vicious Computers - YouTube

That's his youtube channel with some reviews of keyboards.

 

razer is good.

check out steelseries too.

logitech has some good higher end models too.

 

I second this. I'm using the K90 and although it's not fully mechanical, all the keys that matter are. The extra macro keys are nice to have as an option...who doesn't like options? The backlighting has a few settings, and on the lowest it's not overly bright.

Only gripe with it is the fact it takes up two usb slots. If you can work with that it's certain a solid keyboard.

 

I did quite a bit of research before buying mine and I was pretty picky with what I wanted. I wanted a blue LED backlit keyboard with high quality and no extra junk I don't care about (macros, gimmicks, etc). Ended up getting a Ducky Shine 9008S with Cherry Blacks. It's well worth the money and I couldn't be happier with it. Bought from the link below:

Ducky Shine II DK9008S2 - Blue LED Mechanical Keyboard (Black Cherry MX)

 

I own a CM Quickfire with Cherry Red switches, but it is available in all the others as well, nothing but good reviews about this keyboard and it is Tenkeyless.

It isn't back lit but they do supply 4 red keys for your WSAD which is all i really needed.

I had a backlit Xarmor with cherry browns, it was cool for a while but I'm tired of backlits.

If your going to be gaming I would go for browns if you like blues, it's a nice touch between blue and black.

Go with reds if you want to feel like your typing on a cloud.

 

K90 only uses 1 USB port. The second plug powers the USB passthrough. No matter what, you are only down a net of 1 USB port to use the K90.

I have a K90 myself, and since I don't use the macros and it's not fully mechanical, I was looking at the DAS Keyboards from metadot.

 

I was under the impression they both had to be plugged in for the keyboard to function properly? (Since the passthrough is 2.0, I don't really have a use for it) If not I seriously missed something :/

 

Truly Ergonomic is the best one I have tried so far, not backlit though.

 

Get the one Vicious reviewed, looks perfect for laptop and on the go.

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Before you choose a brand, I think you should do a little more research about mechanical keyboard. There are 4 different type of keys.

Blue, Brown, Black, and Red Cherry MX.

Check out this link and you can see the difference.

Mechanical Keyboard Guide

I have the cherry brown. Well, the blue and brown are more meant for typing. For gaming, go for the black or red.

 

i was going to get a mechanical keyboard as well but unless i test all the Cherry types i think it will be hard to order without it.
people say that all the cherry types are based on what you like so until you test it in real life i think it'll be safe to say that dont order it w/o testing.

 

That is most true. Unfortunately, you are not going to find any retailer with all 4 different kinds of keyboards to try out (at least not that I know of).

However, if you do prefer the click click loud sound and feel, go for the blue or brown. The blue is the loudest, and meant for typing. There are some competitive players who hated the blue, because of the lag they get with repetitive key stroke. Most players are not going to be able to "feel the lag".

 

wow, awesome thread. thanks for sharing!

 

No problem. However, even with the article, I thought I would have prefer the brown switch. Just an FYI, I did try out the marauder keyboard and thought I will be better off with the brown. When I received mine, I did feel I made the right choice. The more I game, the more I felt that I should have went with the black or red.

 

Thank you everyone for the help and useful responses, can always rely on the people on NBR.

Looking at the ducky shine II at the moment with black cherry mx keys.

Might get the K90 as well.

After reading everything, i really want to see the difference between a black and brown key.

I have a mechanical keyboard at work, but don't know what kind of key it is.

I have been using the stock Clevo keyboard and it's no fun to play or type on.

 

About halfway down this link it explains the differences of each type of switch. Might help you decide which would suit you best.

Mechanical Keyboard Guide | Das Keyboard Blog


Also you can remove one of the keys on the work computer to see what it is.

 

If your unsure of which switch you'll like, Brown is probably what you want to start with.

 

All I can say is don't go for the blue, unless your intention is to annoy everyone else in the same room.