Gaming

What you need to know before buying a gaming keyboard  

Gaming keyboards are a popular new breed of keyboards that have been created to satisfy the gamer’s need for a more “game” oriented keyboard. These new keyboards offer some very unique features and options that are not available on traditional keyboards.

In this article I hope to inform you about all of the different features offered by these new gaming keyboards, so you can make an educated decision before you buy one. Also, I will be reviewing a couple of keyboards on https://justunder100.com , so you can see how your favorite keyboard compares to the competition.

Types of Gaming Keyboards

The three most popular keyboards that fall under the category of gaming keyboards are mechanical, membrane, and hybrid.

Let’s first take a look at the differences between these keyboard types:

Mechanical:

This is by far my favorite type of keyboard and what I would recommend for any serious gamer. They offer a very real feel with their responsive keys and switches that click when pressed. Many gamers prefer this type of keyboard over others because they feel it is more responsive and allows them to play faster.

Membrane:

The most common form of gaming keyboards are membrane keyboards, also known as rubber dome keyboards. They have a very “squishy” feel when being pressed down and no clicking sound when you press the keystroke all the way in. These types of boards do not last nearly as long as a mechanical board will and their keys usually become noticeably depressed after heavy usage. One example of a popular membrane keyboard is the Logitech G15.

Hybrid:

These kinds of boards use a mixture of mechanical and membrane components to some properties from each, such as the feel of the board, while still maintaining some other properties from one or the other.

Backlit keys are available on all three types of keyboards, however, there are different degrees to which this is offered depending on what kind of keyboard you buy. For example, membrane backlighting is very common while it is not found at all on hybrid boards and is only sometimes found on mechanical ones.

Type of Gaming Keyboard Layouts

There’re four types of gaming keyboard layouts:

  • Standard
  • Tenkeyless (TKL)
  • 75% Keyboards
  • 60% Keyboards

Standard:

This is the most common type of keyboard as it offers a full set of keys including the number pad and arrow cluster.

Tenkeyless (TKL):

The TKL is very similar to the standard layout except that it does not include the number pad on the right side. This was created for gamers who did not want or need a dedicated number pad on their board because they do not make use of it when gaming. The only main drawback to using one of these boards is that you can’t enter in numbers quickly without switching back to your mouse/cursor if all your macros are located on the number pad.

75% Keyboards:

The 75% keyboard layout is the more compact version of the TKL. This board includes all of the keys needed to operate, including arrow keys and a function key, but it takes away the number pad and extra F-keys in order to keep things smaller(hence 75%). The reasoning for this is so that you can use your mouse and keyboard closer together due to less distance between them since you don’t need an entire “hand” just to move across one row much like when using a standard size board.

60% Keyboards:

This type of board is similar in design to the TKL because it only includes all of the primary keys such as letters, numbers, and navigation keys. The 60% board differs from the TKL because it leaves off all of the F-keys and the arrow keys in order to be even smaller than its counterpart. The reason these boards are so compact is because they often serve as a keypad replacement for those who do not need dedicated number pad keys.

How to Choose The Best Gaming Keyboard?

Before you buy a gaming keyboard, make sure it actually fits your needs. Here’re a few things to consider before buying one gaming keyboard.

Macros:

You’ll definitely want to make sure your new gaming keyboard supports macros. Macros allow you to map a string of keystrokes and mouse operations to a single key so that you don’t have to constantly switch out of your game just to perform simple tasks such as casting spells or chatting with teammates. Not all keyboards support macros, but most of the newer ones do. If you want to use macros, make sure your new board is capable of this function before buying or you might end up having to purchase a new one!

Lighting:

If you’re going to be spending good money on a good gaming keyboard, you should at least make sure it looks nice and suits your tastes. Some keyboards come with many different LED colors that can be changed around depending on the user’s preference. You’ll also want to pay attention to how bright/dim the LEDs are, as well as what effects they’re capable of producing such as breathing, ripple, waving etc.

Switches:

There are three main switch types of keys that you will come across. Each type has its own features and benefits that can be found further down the page.

Size:

If you’re looking for a full sized keyboard that is going to take up your entire desk then look no further than standard 104 key layouts, but if you want something more compact, such as a TKL or 60% board, it’s important to consider just how much distance between them there’ll be with all those extra inches gained from not using one of these smaller boards might result in an unresponsive hand and/or arm while playing.

Price:

Last but certainly not least, we have price! If you don’t have too much to spend but still want a good keyboard, there are plenty of great boards out there for less than $100 that will suit your needs just fine. On the other hand, if you’re balling on a budget then cheap TKL or 60% boards will probably do just fine for now until you can save up some money to purchase one of the pricier options.

Apart from that if you want to know about graphics card for gaming then visit our Tech category.

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