We put six high-end keyboards to the test in search of the best keyboard
If you're a gamer, you can probably identify a few points in time when you realized something important about your control setup that made you better at the game. When you discovered that putting your left hand on WASD gives you more options than putting it on the arrow keys, for instance, or when you realized that your crappy optical mouse was actually holding you back in shooters. These kinds of peripheral epiphanies don't happen every day, but it might be just about time for you to have a new one. It might be time for you to realize that your keyboard is holding you back.
We're giving you some credit here—we're not talking about making the upgrade from a $6 keyboard you got at the grocery store. No, we're talking about making the upgrade from a gaming keyboard to an amazing gaming keyboard. Going from entry level or midrange to top-of-the-line.
We looked around and picked out six of the highest-end keyboards released in the last year, starting at just under $100. To compare them, we put them through our usual battery of real-world testing, including gaming and typing, and compared their features and overall feel. Because these keyboards come attached to some pretty heavy price tags, we made sure to give them extra scrutiny. We know that minor inconveniences that might fly on a cheap keyboard become a lot more galling when you've paid $150 for the privilege of suffering them, and our verdicts reflect this.
Ready to make the upgrade to serious typing hardware? Then let's go!
Razer Deathstalker Ultimate
Fun to look at, less fun to use
The Razer Deathstalker is really a thing to behold. The gaming keyboard is thin, sleek, and nicely designed with tri-color glowing keys, but nothing draws your attention like the "Switchblade" user interface, borrowed from the Razer Blade gaming laptop.
Instead of a number pad, the Deathstalker Ultimate features a touchscreen, along with 10 contextual keys.
The Switchblade UI consists of a responsive multitouch 4.3-inch LCD touchscreen and 10 context-sensitive dynamic keys. The screen can act as a trackpad, or can play host to a number of applications including a web browser, Twitter client, YouTube viewer, and plenty of others, such as game-specific apps for a handful of popular titles. Additionally, the keyboard has plenty of on-the-fly macro keys, and the software suite that manages it is polished and very powerful. In other words, the Razer Deathstalker is clearly the most sophisticated gaming keyboard around. The question is, do the Deathstalker's technical flourishes justify its massive $250 price tag.
At that kind of price, we expect every element of a keyboard to be top-notch; unfortunately, that's not the case with the Razer Deathstalker. The problem is the keyboard itself, which uses widely spaced chiclet-style keys, familiar to anyone who's used a MacBook or most Ultrabooks. They look nice, but it's not clear why a large, high-end gaming keyboard would opt to use them over mechanical switches or even rubber-dome membrane keys. The chiclet keys simply don't feel very good to use—they float around inside their tracks and have miniscule travel when pressed. They're not awful, but we'd expect a lot better from a $250 keyboard.
Super-cool Switchblade UI; good software support.
Key quality is subpar for typing and game play; very expensive.
$150, www.razerzone.com
Cyborg S.T.R.I.K.E. 7
Plenty of novel features, but look at that price
Probably the most interesting thing about the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 is that it's modular and customizable. When you first take it out of the box, the keyboard is in seven pieces, which can be screwed together in a number of different configurations. One of the pieces is a large touchscreen, which can be affixed to either the left or right side of the keyboard, as can an extra bank of macro keys and the adjustable "active palm rest," which features a thumb wheel and button. The two halves of the keyboard can be used separately, though both must be connected to the touchscreen, and the kit comes with a set of 16 replacement key caps, so you can make sure your S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 doesn't look like anyone else's.
The S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 is modular, and can be assembled in several different configurations.
On the other hand, you probably won't meet anyone else with a S.T.R.I.K.E. 7, unless you regularly attend LAN parties down at the yacht club. At $300, this is the most expensive keyboard we can remember reviewing, and some of the features just don't rise to the level of expectations set by the price. The touchscreen, for instance, is resistive and not nearly as responsive as the screen on the Razer Deathstalker Ultimate. And like the Deathstalker, the S.T.R.I.K.E. opts for non-mechanical keys. Though the dome-style membrane keys are better than the Deathstalker's chiclet keys, we firmly believe that a keyboard that costs three times as much as most of its competition ought to have the best keys available.
The most customizable keyboard around; tons of room for macros on keyboard and touchscreen.
Super pricey; non-mechanical keyboard feels so-so; touchscreen responsiveness is lacking.
$300, www.cyborggaming.com
Logitech G710+
Logitech brings it back to basics
Logitech has finally decided that the recent trend toward mechanical gaming keyboards isn't a passing fad, and has thrown its own hat into the ring with the G710+. At $150, the G710+ is one of the company's most expensive boards, but it forgoes the LCD screens and raft of macro buttons usually found on Logitech's highest-end products. Instead, the G710+ is a relatively straightforward keyboard built around a sturdy base of mechanical keys.
The backlight for the Logitech G710+'s arrow and WASD keys is separate from the rest of the board, so you can make them glow brighter than their surroundings.
The G710+ uses MX Cherry Brown switches, which are a sort of compromise between the hyper-sensitive Reds and the tactile (and loud) Blues. They're a nice middle-ground switch, excellent for both gaming and typing, though not completely ideal for either. Logitech has augmented the Cherry Browns with noise-dampening rings inside each key, for a quieter gaming session. The keys are mounted into a heavy board, with a clean black-and-gray aesthetic with orange accents. When connected via USB, the G710+'s laser-etched keycaps glow white—you can't change the color, but the brightness is adjustable. In a nice, novel feature, the brightness of the WASD and arrow keys can be adjusted independently, to make them stand out more.
Beyond the mechanical keys, the G710+ doesn't have a lot of flashy features—just a set of macro keys (programmable on-the-fly), some media controls, and a standard-issue software suite with pre-made macro profiles for most modern games. It comes with a removable wrist rest, and includes a single USB pass-through. In all, it's a nice, well-constructed keyboard, though its feature set is just a tiny bit smaller than some similarly priced mechanical boards from other brands.
Excellent typing and gaming feel; dual-zone lighting;noise-dampened keys.
On the pricier side; few pass-throughs.
$150, www.logitech.com
The Art of Cherrypicking
If you're the pattern-recognizing sort, you may notice that every mechanical keyboard in this roundup uses Cherry MX switches for their key mechanisms. That's because virtually all mechanical gaming keyboards today use some variety of Cherry MX switch, such as Brown or Blue. The names indicate both the actual color of the switch (pry a keycap up and you'll be able to tell by sight which switch is underneath), and the switch's mechanical characteristics, in terms of tactility and resistance.
A switch that is highly tactile has a noticeable "bump" that you overcome as you press it down, and tends to make a click noise as it passes that bump. A switch with high resistance requires more force to depress. Here are the four most common varieties of Cherry MX switch:
Red: A non-tactile switch with low resistance. The pressing action is smooth, with no bump, and because of its low resistance it is very responsive. Good for action gamers.
Black: A non-tactile switch, like the Red, with higher resistance.
Blue: A highly tactile switch, with a dramatic (and loud) click. Considered the best switch for typing, but they can be slightly harder to double-tap quickly for gaming.
Brown: A middle-ground switch, with a light tactile click and medium resistance. Functions well for both typing and gaming.
Click here to read our in-depth mechanical keyboard guide.
Corsair Vengeance K90
All the macro keys money can buy
The Corsair Vengeance K90 launched early last year alongside the Vengeance K60. It is, at heart, an expanded version of that board, fitted with a vast bank of customizable macro keys at the far left, and a detachable rubberized wrist rest. The extra functionality is mostly aimed at MMO players, who may have need for the truly staggering number of macro keys—18 keys, arranged into three banks of six, with three profile buttons for a total of 54 programmable actions. We're a bit skeptical about the utility of so many macro buttons, as it becomes difficult to remember which key does what, and to hit them without looking, as the button count increases. Still, you should be able to imagine whether you'd be able to put the buttons to good use or not.
With the K90, Corsair goes deep on macro keys. Unfortunately, only the main QWERTY keyboard and arrow keys are mechanical.
Beyond those extra keys, the K90 features the strong points of the K60, including a rugged all-aluminum body and responsive Cherry MX Red switches. The fantastic-looking low-profile aluminum design is even snazzier in the K90, thanks to blue backlighting that shines through the laser-etched keycaps. One of the strangest and worst features of the K90 is that it uses membrane-style switches for a small subset of the keys on the board (the 18 macro keys, the function keys, as well as the block above the arrow keys), which feel noticeably worse than the mechanical keys that make up the rest of the board. Especially for keys that are meant to be used in the heat of the moment, the transition to non-mechanical keys is very jarring.
Tons of macro keys; nice build quality and design; mechanical.
Not all keys are mechanical; giant block of macro keys is difficult to use efficiently.
$130, www.corsair.com
Rosewill RK-9100 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
A solid board, low on features
Sometimes it's nice when a company comes along and boils down a product category to just the features that are important. With the RK-9100, Rosewill does just that, offering a solid mechanical gaming keyboard with few flourishes.
The RK-9100 is a compact design with no wrist rest and a minimal lip around the outside of the board. It's heavy, and feels quite sturdy. It uses mechanical keys—once again, Cherry MX switches, though with the RK-9100 you have a choice of the typing-friendly Blue switches, or the in-between Browns. We tend to prefer the Browns as a nice compromise between gaming and typing, which makes it a bit frustrating that the Brown-switch version of the RK-9100 retails for $130, $20 more than the Blue version.
The Rosewill RK-9100 isn't the fanciest-looking keyboard, but it feels great to use.
The keyboard has a nice blue backlight, except for the scroll-, num-, and caps-lock keys, which glow green while active. It's a good idea, but for some reason the green light is incredibly bright, and angled to shine right into your eyes while active. It's distracting, and unfortunately can't be turned off—we wouldn't be surprised if most RK-9100 owners end up fixing the problem with electrical tape. That's the only significant problem we noticed while using Rosewill's keyboard, but we couldn't shake the feeling that $130 is a bit too much to ask for this board. The Logitech G710+ features the same MX Brown switches, and with street a price that's currently only about $10 more than RK-9100, includes significantly more features that set it apart as a gaming keyboard.
No-nonsense design; selection of different Cherry MX switches.
No macro keys; no software support.
$130, www.rosewill.com
Roccat Isku
Membrane plank makes strong impression
If you're not ready to make the jump to a mechanical keyboard, and aren't interested in touchscreens or scalp massagers or whatever other luxury features are going into the $200-plus planks, your money will go a lot farther. Specifically, it'll go all the way to the Roccat Isku, a handsome and feature-rich keyboard from German newcomer Roccat.
The Isku is thin but takes up a lot of room, thanks to its broad wrist rest and bezel.
The Isku is wide and flat, with an oversized wrist rest and a wide bezel all around the board, taking up plenty of desk real estate. It's got a grippy textured-plastic frame and recessed contoured keys that make the whole thing seem flatter and lower to the desk than normal. The dome keys are good (as far as they go) with a fairly crisp and responsive activation.
Where the Isku really shines is in its expansive set of features. It has eight macro buttons (including three "thumbster" keys under the spacebar), with on-the-fly recording, and profile switching. It gets further mileage out of the bindable keys and macros with an "EasyShift" button where the caps-lock key would normally be, which temporarily switches the functions of all right-hand-accessible keys while held down. There's a lot to customize, and the included software suite is intuitive and up to the task.
Also, the Isku is part of the "Roccat Talk" ecosystem, which allows button presses on the keyboard to affect the behavior of a Roccat gaming mouse, and vice versa. At this price, we'd strongly recommend buying a mechanical board, but if you can't or don't want to, the Isku is an excellent choice.
No-nonsense design; selection of different Cherry MX switches.
No macro keys; no software support.
$90, www.roccat.org
A Keyboard for Clean Freaks
One of the keyboards we received while preparing this roundup was the Logitech Washable Keyboard K310. Somehow it didn't seem quite fair to pit the $40 K310 against the likes of the Razer Deathstalker in a straight head-to-head, but we couldn't resist the chance to see if this washable keyboard really works.
The K310 has a standard full-size layout with flat, thick plastic keys. Despite the very plastic-y construction and non-standard keys, the keyboard actually feels pretty decent to use.
We don't actually have a standard testing procedure worked out for washable keyboards, so we improvised. We took a quick trip to the corner store for a bag of Cheetohs—bane of all keyboards. We then used a mortar and pestle to mash them into a fine, delicious powder, and applied it liberally to the keyboard (and surrounding table).
We were originally going to stick the K310 in the dishwasher, but a label on its back specifically warns against doing so. Instead, we gave it a thorough hand-washing in the sink.
What's the verdict? The keyboard looks like new, and works just fine. Not bad!
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