Keyboards

[Pedz]

Hi, So I've been using a Saitek Cyborg keyboard for a while, and it's great and all, but I'm thinking of upgrading to a mechanical keyboard.

My only concerns with the mechanicl keyboards is that some of them look very "gamer" like, which honestly in my opinion is a bi-word for 'garish'. So Looking for one that isn't too gamer like, but still has simple look and feel to it, preferably with backlights. Not knowing much about keyboards, thought I'd ask for any opinions.

(and yes I realise my current keyboard is very gamer centric, and that's one reason for my disposal for it , still works find 4 years on, so if anyones thinking of getting a cheapish gaming keyboard, its great)

Cheers for the help!

Also don't worry tooo much about price, I know they're at least ?80 for a mechnical keyboard, paycheck time!

[Psyrus]

Question: Why do you want a mechanical keyboard?

[Pedz]

After using a friends(Razer) it just felt that much nicer, and seeing as I type a lot (Computer scientist student, so programming daily) It'd be a nice change .

[Adriaan]

I'm using a Corsair Vengeance K60 atm, cherry red switches. They're a lot nicer than to the touch than rubber dome kbs I've used in the past. It's worth noting that the Function and Insert/Home/Delete etc keys are still regular rubber dome there, with the rest being mechanical. Other than that I find it a joy to use and the finish on it is good (aluminium surface on top of which the keys are 'laid', you can easily take them off to clean underneath etc., strong cable and spare USB port on it). The K90 from the same series has a bunch of macro keys and blue backlighting as well if you want that.

Other than that, I've heard that Filco makes great mechanical keyboards, but they were a little too expensive for me and might possibly be hard to come by, I'm not sure. Otherwise, Das Keyboard, maybe some of Steelseries' might be good. Make sure to read details/reviews I guess. This guide has some nice info, though iirc PS2 vs USB is pretty much a non-issue, or even incorrect. Mechanical Keyboard Guide

[LITOralis.nMd]

If you're in student housing, careful buying Cherry Red MX switch KB, those farking things are so farking loud your roommates might go into a murderous rage at 3AM while your typing. An alternate is the Cherry brown switch.

[Pedz]

Cheers guyss, Looks like I'll be testing some of these switches out at some point , see the differences. The guide was really good, so thanks for the good find and link

[Adriaan]

Hehe, cherry reds are louder than rubber dome switches yeah, but having them next to each other here I can say not by much. They're mainly higher pitch/frequency. I think it was the blues (and to a lesser extent maybe the black switches) that made a real clicking noise due to the tactile bump in them. Those might be a bit louder than red/brown switches still.

[Pedz]

Just an update on the keyboard front, I looked at the different types of keys, and as I will be typing much more than gaming, I went for the blues. I got a QPAD MX80 and I absolutely adore it!

Main reasons for it:
Cherry Blues (Better for typing, have a click)
Looks sleek, not gamey, just a nice blue backlight, a few flairs, but nice flairs)
Build quality is superb, it's got some kind of rubberised paint coating, much like the backs of some mobile phones. Heavy as well, just adds to the quality feel of it all.

I didn't go for its bigger brother teh MK85 because well:
red backlights are just not as nice as blue..
I don't use macros
it was ?10 more

Didn't go for the corsair mainly because of the pricing, cherry red keys, which lack the tactile feel and click.

Only downsides I can say about this keyboard is that it is quite loud.. But not really so loud that it's a problem, it is also such a satisfying noise.

But to conclude, mechanical keyboards are just on another level as far as I can see, so if anyone has seen this thread and is wondering whether to dive into the world of mechanical keyboards.. Do it! you won't regret it in any way. (even my brother who doesn't game at all wants one ). And I'll have to wait until October to see if my housemates will be murdering me as I type