Gamers have customized everything from mouse, to computer laptops, mouse and other peripherals. It gives you the edge to beat your competitors in the game.
It is not surprising that players would want to customize keyboards and there have been a lot of gaming keyboards produced through the years that have taken the gaming experience to the next level.
Here are some of the best gaming keyboard we really like!
Mechanical vs. Membrane Keyboards
The primary differentiation in gaming keyboards should be the make of keys. The two categories in this regard are mechanical and membrane-based keyboards. Membrane-based keyboards generate signals upon touch, with the help of conductive plastic. Whereas mechanical based keyboards use physical switches, which works far better.
Choosing between the two would be a classic example of cost vs. quality scenario.
Here is a rundown of the best gaming keyboards of 2018.
1. Corsair Vengeance K70 RGB
It has beautiful colouredbacklighting. It has sleek and minimal design. It has great build quality. The wrist rest is included.
On the downside, it has a complicated software and it is an overall expensive keyboard.
The design is something, where the brand has made incredible improvements to address the shortcoming of predecessors. This keyboard guarantees all-round fulfillment starting from being a 100% mechanized device.
Buy on Amazon2. Coolermaster Storm Quickfire TK
It has Windows lock which eliminates the case of accidentally exiting a game. The compact dimensions make it a handy keyboard on the desk. Cherry MX keys take it to a different league. The numerical pad is a useful inclusion to the solid board. Three backlight modes along with five brightness levels make it feel pleasant in the eye.
On the downside, numerical keypad takes a while to get used to. The absence of macro keys presents a hard challenge.
Coolermaster has packed gaming keyboard and mouse together for mutually benefiting upsells. The design is expected to be basic at first look.
Buy on Amazon3. Razer BlackWidow Chroma
It has comfortable and programmable keys. It has easy to use and powerful customization software. It has colorful illumination. It offers easy and comfortable typing experience.
On the downside, buildquality isn’t that great. The build is made of all plastic. Less key travel. Expensive as compared to other models in our lineup.
The most exciting features in this keyboard are that you can customize the color combination to your taste. The keyboard do have macro keys, usb pass through and audio pass through. Itskinda expensive as compared to others but with low built quality. It is preferred to those gamers who value style with gaming.
Buy on Amazon4. Tesoro Excalibur G7NL
Macros Supported. Very cheap as compared to others in our lineup. It is backlit Illuminated. Built quality is good. It has a minimalist and standard design.
On the downside, build quality isn’t that much great. USB pass-through ports are missing.
Tesoro Excalibur has the standard, but neatly constructed mechanical keyboard. It adds quite a few handy features such as macros, game mode, media keys and backlighting to a familiar layout.
Buy on Amazon5. CM Storm QuickFire Rapid-i
It’s a mechanized keyboard fitted with Cherry MX mechanical switches. The design feels familiar with traditional ten button numeric pad.
It has an efficient design and offerssmooth typing. No software required. It has multiple lighting modes.
On the downside, thenumeric pad is missing. It has no macro keys. Thebacklight color options are missing.
Buy on Amazon6. Logitech G910 Orion Spark
Hardcore gamers can’t be more impressed with the degree of customization on offer. It’s an asymmetrical keyboard, so it doesn’t serve well outside gaming. Software side customizations and lighting controls make it a stand out model from the pack. Swappable wrist rest is a bonus to its already enriched ergonomic quotient.
Unique keycap design plays an important role in gaming. Macros keys are available. Great software support (Offers Customization, Lighting Controls, and Stats Tracking). Wrist rest.
On the downside, no key tap sound. It is expensive. Its asymmetrical keys are not good for non-gamer user.
Buy on Amazon7. SteelSeries Apex M800
Steelseries makes plenty of customization available to gamers. Along with the aesthetics, it serves well through serious technology.
It has USB Pass-through. It has easy to use software and comes with beautiful backlighting.
On the downside, poor built quality (all plastic). Very expensive. Large in size as compared to others
Not a good option for non-gamer because it gives the worst typing experience.
Buy on Amazon8. Razer DeathStalker Ultimate
An LCD panel replacing standard number pad is the highlight of Razer Deathstalker Ultimate.
Switchblade (Touch screen panel). It has adjustable multicolor backlight. It has great build quality. Its Razer Synapse 2.0 is a stylish design.
On the downside, Only for gamers and should not be used for any other capacity. It offers the worst typing experience. It has ordinary keys and is very expensive. The most expensive keyboard in our list!
Buy on Amazon9. Corsair Strafe RGB
Where cheaper manufacturers rely on membrane keyboards to cut costs, CORSAIR uses mechanical switches manufactured in Germany to provide precise gaming control.
It offers custom visual lighting and support for full and individual key programmability. Use its bundled key puller to define custom macro keys. USB pass-through. It offers a plug and play keyboard, although one has to independently configure its backlighting.
On the downside, set up time is long. Lacks stand-alone media control keys. A steep learning curve for its CUE software. Minimal support for Windows 10.
Buy on Amazon10. ROCCAT RYOS MK Pro
It falls into the affordable category, without too much of a unique design. The keyboard is intended to be the best budget gaming keyboard in the market.
It has audio and USB Pass-through. It offers a lot of programmable options. It has individually backlit keys.
On the downside, no multiple colors backlighting, only blue is available. Wrist rest is fixed and can’t be removed.
Buy on AmazonConclusion
Customized gaming keyboards should be your next purchase when you are thinking of an all-out gaming experience. The level of ease and comfort for long playing hours can’t be beat with a customized gaming keyboard. There are many choices to choose from provided by manufacturers of keyboards that can fulfill your goals based on your budget and needs. Know the different kinds of gaming keyboards out there and know there’s one that is especially built for you to take your gaming to the next level!