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What's a good gaming Keyboard? (2012 edition)
- Thread starter Soverntear
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2011
- Location
- Southern Indiana
Im using a Logitech G 110 and love it. Its paired with a z-board fang so i dont use high speed movement with it, so cannot comment on its ghosting performance.
I do you use the G-keys (they come in handy alot, especially when playing MMO's), the back lighing is nice and color changeable, the media keys, i have to say, are one of the better designed/placed media keys ive ever used on a keyboard. The play/stop are nice for keys i dont use as often, yet they enlarge the mute key and the large volume scroll wheel which i use quite often. So they put thought into it.
The primary reason I got this keyboard tho, was for the build in sound driver. I have my headset plugged directly into this and use the separate mute buttons quite a bit on it. This is good for me as i dont like the large, stereo headsets most seem to. I prefer a light mono/single ear set that ONLY outputs voice, while my speakers play everything else.
The switch to turn off the windows keys is also a big plus. So yea im sure mechanical keys may perform better, but for me the features outweigh a performance gain people, i have serous doubts, realistically notice.
I do you use the G-keys (they come in handy alot, especially when playing MMO's), the back lighing is nice and color changeable, the media keys, i have to say, are one of the better designed/placed media keys ive ever used on a keyboard. The play/stop are nice for keys i dont use as often, yet they enlarge the mute key and the large volume scroll wheel which i use quite often. So they put thought into it.
The primary reason I got this keyboard tho, was for the build in sound driver. I have my headset plugged directly into this and use the separate mute buttons quite a bit on it. This is good for me as i dont like the large, stereo headsets most seem to. I prefer a light mono/single ear set that ONLY outputs voice, while my speakers play everything else.
The switch to turn off the windows keys is also a big plus. So yea im sure mechanical keys may perform better, but for me the features outweigh a performance gain people, i have serous doubts, realistically notice.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2010
- Location
- Sacramento, CA
I have been eyeballing the G110 for a while now, but my G11 just won't stop working. I not big on mechanical, everyone that I have heard being used has very loud key strokes, but maybe its just me. There may be quieter ones...
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
Maybe they are using blue key switches. Those ones have a built in click for each stroke. Browns, blacks, and reds only make noise when the key hits the back plate of the keyboard. After a while of using a mechanical you dont really push down all the way anymore so they are rather quite. At least from my own experiences.
good for you man. mine died in 8 months and we dont have a support center in our town so i had to let it go..
+1
i love all those things you mention above plus the usb feature in the keyboard... i was mesmerized by this keyboard when the first time i saw it... and i loved it ever since.. i have been using it for more than 1 years an still running like new(hope it remains that way)..
OP
- Joined
- May 12, 2011
- Thread Starter
- #27
Great guide on mechanical keys. Looks like I want browns for my keys based on the description. I'm going to assume that 6KRO means 6 key anti ghosting? The BW stealth ult is still the leading contender for me. The usb extension, browns, media keysIf it's not mechanical, it's not a GAMING keyboard. Membrane can never keep up, so bottom line is mechanical is required if it's going to be a "GOOD" gaming keyboard and all rosewill boards are a good place to start!
OVERALL, my top pick is:
Rosewill RK9000-BR, or the Das Keyboard Professional Silent (ultimate if you want blank keys). Cherry browns are just such a great gaming switch. The Razer Blackwidow Stealth Ultimate (THE NON ULTIMATE IS NOT 6KRO) is one of few options for a truly high end gaming oriented keyboard in my opinion. It uses browns, has audio plugs, backlighting, etc. It's very geared towards gamers, and actually has 6KRO and browns. That's win/win for me.
g110 while a pretty board, I would never spend $100+ on a non mechanical keyboard. there is no possibly way plastic and membrane costs that much.
For the first question, yes and no. Anti-ghosting is mis used in the industry. Ghosting is when you hit 2 keys and a third gets registered for some crazy reason, although the definition has been extended to include when keys don't get sent altogether.
6 KRO, or key roll over means you can hit a total of 6 non modifier keys without losing a keystroke. Most 6kro keyboards are 6+4, in otherwords, you can hit 6 keys + 4 modifier keys without losing a keystroke.
If you use PS2 on many of these keyboards, they become NKRO, which means it will handle all the keys being pressed at once.
For the second point, who cares how much it cost to make, it's about quality here. There's a few exceptions to the membrane world, most notably topre but I've never used them so I cannot personally comment on their performance I can say based on the pictures their design philosophy is like a membrane key on crack, and they're said to be sublime.
In short, for all of you who just got lost by what I said: mechanical keyboards are MORE OFTEN THAN NOT built better than a crappy so called gaming keyboard in every way, and perform better in gaming applications in ways you either can't consider or have accepted.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2011
- Location
- Southern Indiana
G110's dont cost over 100 bucks, where ever you see that is either wrong, or they are way over charging. Newegg has them listed for $70 currently. And its not just "pretty", its highly functional.
Sorry, i cant take this post seriously. It lost all credibility the moment you said "Rosewill". Perhaps you have had very good luck with them, but will never purchase another Rosewill product, because frankly they are made VERY Very poorly.
I have a hard enough time trusting a company that's making *Everything*, and they do produce everything. From keyboards and mice, to computer chairs, hubs, brackets, staplers, space heaters.. ?? wtf? The term "Jake of all trades, master of none" certainly apply's here.
Not only do they have enough bad reviews on the products failing, but there is also a lot of them stating they only "half work". And i don't just take reviews word for it. I took a chance on an 8-port gigabit switch. First one i got, 3 ports didn't work. I RMA'ed it, got the 2nd one, 4 of Those ports didn't work. RMA'ed that one, got back the 3rd and 2 of ITS ports dont work. At that point i just said F* it, it wasn't worth dealing with them.
Ive read similar story's on some of their other products. I was looking for a USB hub lately, and many of their reviews posted complain about the Same thing.. Ports not working. So yea, if you got lucky with their stuff working like it should then great.. but i will never give them another penny of my money. I cant just imagine if i ever did get one of their keyboards, one or several of the keys not registering.
Lastly. It is gaming. Its rather elitist of you to say "your not gaming unless its on a mechanical keyboard". Its whatever works for you. For me, that's the G110. Not some loud clackaty keyboard that has some supposed performance increase that people never actually experience. Haha, yea i know ill get flack for that from all of those owners, trying to justify the high price, but you get the same from those who spent the big money on "Killer NIC M1 Gaming Network Card" because they bought into its hype.
What it comes down to, for me personally, is I want a keyboard that will function well and supplement my gaming experience, but when it comes to using it, or any keyboard for Movement and action, any regularly laid out keyboard just isnt designed for that. Their keys are not placed for optional gaming. This is why i use the Fang.. Large butterfly WASD keys, number keys above in 2 rows where i can reach ALL of them without picking up my hand, and even some buttons near the palm so that my thumb is used for pressing more than just the space bar. Its pretty much laid out how i wanted a sideboard to be laid out. Not saying there isnt room for improvement in the device.. cause Every device has that flaw, but it works for me. And the G110's other features help support my gaming, so it also works for me.
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2011
- Location
- New Jersey
I've been using a MS Sidewinder x4 for a few months and really like it. Good action on the keys, the material is smudge resistant and always feels clean, and the macro keys are kept to a very manageable and useful minimum. It also has a very comfortable cross-hatched plastic wrist rest that doesn't get dirty like some of the foam ones.
Rosewill buys stuff from other companies and rebrands them. Rosewill keyboards are heavily recommended at geekhack.org, a forum much like ours but focusing STRICTLY on the highest end of keyboards. If you can't take the post seriously, it's because you don't know any better and that's okay. It's exactly why I posted what I did, to educate those whom are not informed regarding mechanical keyboards. We, as geeks should be buying these to reinforce the market and have better keyboards to boot. There are many great gaming mechanicals, and most peripheral firms who take themselves seriously are nowadays making almost entirely mechanical keyboards for gaming. Razer is a notable exception. Razer has their fanboys, but their keyboards are vastly inferior to other offerings of the same type and price range, and their mice are laggy IMO. In general, razer branded products are just worse than something else you could buy from Logitech or Steelseries. I posted the Razer cherry brown based offering because it is a higher quality gaming centric keyboard with all the right features, an exception to Razer's line up.
I do not know whom the OEM for the Rosewill keyboards is, but they're EXTREMELY high quality; better than my das keyboard. Don't judge the keyboards by the other products that Rosewill makes, because as I said they rebrand products from a lot of other companies. As an example, my Rosewill server cases are really norco, which is a well respected brand for us diy server builders. Rosewill is VERY similar to Rocketfish in it's business model, and a great example was the Rocketfish Lian-Li rebranded chassis. You would have likely sneered at this seeing it in store, but if you knew what it was you would have bought 5 or 6 of them. We all know of Lian-Li quality, and to find a high end Lian-Li model rebranded at half the price is a steal, even if it said Rocketfish on it. Rosewill is the same way, not all of the products are of the same stock and quality.
If you think I'm elitest, I probably am, and that allows me to make quality recommendations to those who don't have time to be elitest. If you still don't believe me you should do some research to figure out why all the points I made are true, why they matter, and what options exist that match the Rosewill quality etc. If you're okay with a low end keyboard, that's fine, but I reccomended the Rosewill keyboards because they're BETTER than my Das Keyboard (a name trusted in the entry level high end keyboard segment) in build quality in every way which in turns bests ANY membrane keyboard; PERIOD. Most of the benefit of the mechanical keyboard is the feel, and the feedback. There are recorded benefits to these keyboards improving the overall typing situation, including a reduction in repetitive stress injury. The theory goes that by having something in the keystroke that tells you the letters are typing you're less apt to bottom out the keys, and as such will exert less force. This has proven true for me, and my typing has only improved with mechanical keyboards. Once you go mechanical, you can never go back. It won't make you a better gamer, it allows you to be a better gamer.
Plus I can't use your keyboard, I mouse with my left hand and that means I need 6KRO for the keyboard to be even on my list; the reason is "anti ghosting" on most keyboards means that keys around the wasd clusters allow for more concurrent keystrokes, where as other keys on the keyboard don't have this benefit. My wasd is actually pl;' so I need that 6KRO to perform adequately. You may not have experienced any negative effects of lower end keyboards, but they exist, are well documented, provable, and repeatable. If you still don't wanna drink the kool aid, that's fine man. Not going to beat a dead horse, I would just like to encourage you to research more prior to posting an argumentative post like what you posted. I will say this very specifically and pointedly with no disrespect intended: Every point in your post is horribly misinformed (regarding my post). You're entitled to your own opinions, but we're discussing keyboards empirically here. Mechanical keys are better, if you want a keyboard with gaming related features, there are mechanical options. If you need specially laid out keys, unfortunately I got nothing for you, but in my opinion the mechanical benefits outweigh the benefits of specially laid out gaming clusters.
A final note on the loud clakkity keys notion: 3 of the 4 keyboards I listed are quieter than most membranes or only slightly louder, reds, blacks, and browns are all quiet with no real "click" sound, the only noise they should make beyond what a membrane makes is the key cap hitting the back-plate, or the "bottoming out". The Cherry blues, the least recommended of the 4, are the only ones with a click and I gave an empirical reason for recommending it the least.
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- Oct 14, 2011
- Location
- Southern Indiana
I honestly have lost interest in what you think strictly because your implying (or straight out saying) that the G110 is a "low end" keyboard, which it isnt. It is much higher quality than what real low end keyboards are. If you want to be a snob about it i will accept that its a mid-range.
I have stated my reasons for my keyboard choice, and if you wish to continue to kick me around like i have no idea what im talking about, or that im too stupid to follow your lead in what i buy, then ill just ignore you. I really dont have the time to sit here and listen to people badger me because they dont agree with my choice in products. You say Razor has their fanboys, and your proving that obviously, mechanical keyboards also have their fan boys.
If there was a mechanical version of the G110, yea i might consider it, but im not giving up its features for a tactile feel that im not missing. I might have been more open to what you had said had you not been trying to shove the "get this or you suck" rhetoric in our/my face.
Either way, im done with this.. Perhaps show some respect next time.
I have stated my reasons for my keyboard choice, and if you wish to continue to kick me around like i have no idea what im talking about, or that im too stupid to follow your lead in what i buy, then ill just ignore you. I really dont have the time to sit here and listen to people badger me because they dont agree with my choice in products. You say Razor has their fanboys, and your proving that obviously, mechanical keyboards also have their fan boys.
If there was a mechanical version of the G110, yea i might consider it, but im not giving up its features for a tactile feel that im not missing. I might have been more open to what you had said had you not been trying to shove the "get this or you suck" rhetoric in our/my face.
Either way, im done with this.. Perhaps show some respect next time.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
From what i read before i got my rosewill mechanical keyboard they use the same oem as filco
I did show some respect, you disrespectfully and defiantly undermined my obviously superior keyboard knowledge based on prior experience with completely unrelated Rosewill products and what is more, didn't even seem to have a basic understanding of Rosewill's business model, so I explained it, and respectfully. Now you're mad because a keyboard enthusiast can empirically say that your G110 keyboard is a terrible device not worth it's cost and bested by almost any mechanical keyboard, especially by one costing only 30$ more? If you don't know, don't tell the ones that do that they don't. It's just rude. Quite frankly YOU should show some respect. I will be reporting your posts in this thread due to you basically telling me I'm wrong when I can prove I'm right. It's just silly, childish, and ignorant.
I hope you have good luck buying keyboards in the future, and there are empirical reasons to believe the G110 is low end, specifically it's lack of 6KRO, which is standard fare on high end keyboards. Anyway, as I said, you were consistently wrong with all your points in your post regarding mine, that's the major thing...
No offense again, but you're now being intentionally ignorant. Seems to me we should be able to report stuff like this, belligerency being wrong in the face of provable facts.
Do some research on your own and you'll find that the G110 IS low end. Just because you paid so much for it doens't make it high end and certainly doesn't make me a jerk for telling you it's trash. I got one for free as a door prize to a big lan party and immediately lost all interest in the terrible piece of junk (it's 2KRO, which means in some cases you can hit 2 keys before it starts binding up and not sending the key presses, that's pretty crappy and makes it a low end normal run of the mill membrane piece of trash with backlighting and a usb sound card built in). Just because you spend a cool mil on a VW bug doesn't mean it's better than a Ferrari. Logitech makes high end mice, on this we all can agree, but their keyboards are absolute rubbish.
(FYI, my ex girlfriend, pictured below, uses that terrible thing, I'm the guy blowing up the thermaltake hammer)
(I've even used that terrible thing and can say from EXPERIENCE it's bad so if you're going to spread fud and troll, please don't do it where people are honestly trying to get information on better keyboards)
I would suggest everyone, in regards to keyboards, ignore anything coming out of Lyian. He very well may be extremely competent elsewhere but his own ignorance is clouding his ability to learn here. I am sorry for him and sorry this turned into an argument, but for those who don't know and want to learn, please refer to my guide. Rosewill mechanical keyboards are EXTREMELY high end, and deserve your attention if you're wanting to get something actually worth it's purchase price.
If you'd like to research further, the keyboard ENTHUSIASTS at geekhack.org can also help steer you towards an ideal selection. In short: for the price rosewill is the way to go, the only trouble is figuring out which keyswitch to get. And my guide addressed that, perfectly in my humble opinion.
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- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
found the thread from teamliquid about the rosewill keyboards. One guy took it apart and it says filco on the board, so they are just rebranded filco keyboards so the quality is there
here is a link to the thread. This image is in post 13
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=175952
here is a link to the thread. This image is in post 13
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=175952
Filco are some of the highest end keyboards based on cherry switches guys. Seriously...
You just can't get 'em anymore. That's why Elitekeyboards.com started stocking leopolds.
BTW 100$ for a Filco is a hidden treasure, the Rosewill keyboards are almost the exact same situation as the Rocketfish Lian-Li cases.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
Yeah filco is a great brand. I dont see a problem in buying a rosewill when all it is is a filco keyboard for a lower price. Now im not so sure if i would buy other rosewill products but their mechanical keyboards are great especially for the price
To seal the deal guys, I'm including some sources (the moderators suggested I do this), thanks ShadowSlayer666, for including a link to TL regarding the OEM for the rosewills. (quality, shape, etc all made me think filco but couldn't say for sure, pictures speak very loudly)
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=NKey+Rollover+-+Overview+Testing+Methodology+and+Results
This link will take you to the geekhack wiki topic of nkey rollover, which includes information ON THE G110.
So we've determined the Rosewill's are really Filco's, we've proven that the G110 is NOT 6KRO which is mandatory for a gaming keyboard to really be a gaming keyboard in the same way that realistically a mouse not skipping because it's moved too fast is a requirement for it to be a gaming mouse (you can game with a crappy keyboard and mouse but we're talking about devices MADE for gaming and it's demanding nature)... and we already knew it was membrane. So it's got inferior switches, inferior key rollover, and on top of all of that, the only thing that redeems it as a "gaming keyboard" is a windows key disabler and some programmable macro keys. Guys, if you need macro keys, get the Razer Black Widow Ultimate Stealth. It's got the G110 so freaking beat that it's scary...
So, Lyian, I'm honestly sorry if you think I'm telling you to get on the crazy train or GTFO, but I've empirically proven the G110 is inferior to every selection of mechanical keyboard and is just as bad as any other membrane except for perhaps the microsoft sidewinder keyboards (because they handle KRO quite differently, which is to say the sidewinder is BETTER THAN a G110) but even the sidewinder still isn't mechanical. So basically, I'm sorry if I made you mad, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry if you question my credibility... and I'm especially sorry if you still don't believe me; but you're honestly missing a vastly improved computing experience if you're using a G110 versus a GOOD keyboard... and what's more, you're giving yourself a bad rep by arguing with somebody who LOVES keyboards ... about keyboards.
Also, everyone I'm not here to push stuff. I didn't have anything to say about anybody else's choice of keyboards.
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=NKey+Rollover+-+Overview+Testing+Methodology+and+Results
This link will take you to the geekhack wiki topic of nkey rollover, which includes information ON THE G110.
So we've determined the Rosewill's are really Filco's, we've proven that the G110 is NOT 6KRO which is mandatory for a gaming keyboard to really be a gaming keyboard in the same way that realistically a mouse not skipping because it's moved too fast is a requirement for it to be a gaming mouse (you can game with a crappy keyboard and mouse but we're talking about devices MADE for gaming and it's demanding nature)... and we already knew it was membrane. So it's got inferior switches, inferior key rollover, and on top of all of that, the only thing that redeems it as a "gaming keyboard" is a windows key disabler and some programmable macro keys. Guys, if you need macro keys, get the Razer Black Widow Ultimate Stealth. It's got the G110 so freaking beat that it's scary...
So, Lyian, I'm honestly sorry if you think I'm telling you to get on the crazy train or GTFO, but I've empirically proven the G110 is inferior to every selection of mechanical keyboard and is just as bad as any other membrane except for perhaps the microsoft sidewinder keyboards (because they handle KRO quite differently, which is to say the sidewinder is BETTER THAN a G110) but even the sidewinder still isn't mechanical. So basically, I'm sorry if I made you mad, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry if you question my credibility... and I'm especially sorry if you still don't believe me; but you're honestly missing a vastly improved computing experience if you're using a G110 versus a GOOD keyboard... and what's more, you're giving yourself a bad rep by arguing with somebody who LOVES keyboards ... about keyboards.
Also, everyone I'm not here to push stuff. I didn't have anything to say about anybody else's choice of keyboards.
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- Oct 14, 2011
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- Southern Indiana
Report me if you like, if it makes you feel better. Mods will only see that you have been disrespectful as well. I will accept that i should not have responded just as rudely tho. But as ive said, im done. Had you not been so arrogant and disrespectful in the first place, i would have taken your information with alittle more weight.
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- Sep 26, 2002
- Location
- Indianapolis, IN
Easy gentlemen... I've already been watching this thread so let's not start reporting more posts here. If you can't discuss your opinions on what you think is a good gaming keyboard like adults, then maybe you should just step away and unsubscribe from the thread.
Sure there are facts that can help back up your opinion as to why a keyboard is going to be better for gaming but I would guess that my keyboard probably would be considered a poor gaming keyboard but I still love it.
Sure there are facts that can help back up your opinion as to why a keyboard is going to be better for gaming but I would guess that my keyboard probably would be considered a poor gaming keyboard but I still love it.
