Introduction
Though you may naturally associate the keyboard with the mundane, it's an essential piece to the puzzle if you're gaming on PC. Selecting the right keyboard is a do or die situation – meaning if you don't do it, you're likely going to be killed in any online multiplayer game.
That being said, here we've compiled the 10 best gaming keyboards available for all the different flavors of PC gamers. Whether you're into World of Warcraft or Counterstrike, Overwatch or Call of Duty, there's bound to be something in store for you.
However, we do recognize that everyone games on a budget, and some of us prefer compact peripherals that take up less space and are easy to travel with. No worries, though, as we've taken all of this into account in this extensive yet definitive guide to the best keyboards on the market.
1. Corsair K70 RGB Rapidfire
This mechanical animal has cheetah-like speeds
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Wired | Programmable keys: Yes
Corsair's K70 RGB Rapidfire keyboard is all about speed. Featuring Cherry's new linear MX Speed Switch, its keys are highly responsive and take only a slight movement of the finger to press them down. The switch actuates at just 1.2mm, with a light actuation force of 45g. With a feeling like typing on super-sensitive Cherry MX Reds, which are a sensitive keyswitch anyway, they're not very suitable for long typing sessions. However, if you're into first-person shooters or any game that requires fast reflexes, the K65 RGB is equipped for the job. The full-length K70 RGB Rapidfire is also available in a tenkeyless version called the K65 RGB, which is easier to transport and slip into a bag to take to LAN parties. Like its larger sibling, the K70 has beautiful customizable RGB lighting.
Read the full review: Corsair K70 RGB Rapidfire
2. SteelSeries Apex M800
Keeps a low profile
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Wired | Programmable keys: Yes
Billed as the fastest keyboard in the west (and the rest of the world for that matter), the Apex M800 feels different to type on than just about every other keyboard out there. That's because of its QS1 keyswitch, which is incredibly responsive due to its 1.5mm key travel and 45cN actuation force. Its low travel and linear nature lend it a similar feel to Cherry MX Reds, only requiring less effort to strike each key. This makes the Apex M800 a great keyboard for gaming, but its membrane-like keyswitch means you'll need to take some time adjusting to it when it comes to typing - especially if you've come from a tactile keyboard with Cherry's MX switches inside. The M800's individually-lit keycaps are easy on the eye and the M800's six left-positioned macro keys help you fire off spells and switch weapons in a snap.
3. Cherry MX Board 6.0
An all-metal affair
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Wired | Programmable keys: Yes
Cherry's flagship MX Board 6.0 features a lower profile than other gaming keyboards like the Razer BlackWidow X Chroma, making it perfect if you prefer to type and game using a wrist rest. Cherry's MX Red switches under the keys lend the MX Board 6.0 fast response times, but because the keys are positioned fairly close together they're excellent for typing too. Housed in a solid aluminium chassis, the MX Board 6.0 certainly doesn't feel cheap and its blood-red key lighting is deliciously ominous. A mechanical keyboard that's also perfect for the office, then.
4. Razer BlackWidow X Chroma
Leaves its full metal jacket at home
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Wired | Programmable keys: Yes
The Razer BlackWidow X is a stripped down version of the original BlackWidow. It removes the protective top plate to expose the aluminium chassis underneath, and we'd argue that it looks all the better for it. It's a heavy-duty unit that houses Razer's own Green or Orange (silent) switches under the keycaps. They feel a little like Cherry's MX Blues to type on and can display 16.8 million colors for lighting, which is fully customizable using Razer's Synapse software. Being a Chroma keyboard, you can download different developer-submitted profiles to control the RGB backlighting, with Blizzard's Overwatch profile being one of the latest and most impressive.
5. Logitech G810
A minimalist gaming weapon
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Wired | Programmable keys: Yes
Logitech has followed up its Orion Spark G910 mechanical keyboard with the G810, which arrives with a refreshingly grown-up feel. Sporting Logitech's own Romer G switches, which aren't quite as squishy as Cherry's various switches, the G810 possesses a snappier feel than other gaming keyboards whether typing or gaming. Featuring smart media keys that work equally well on both Windows and OS X, Logitech's latest keyboard is a solid all-round offering. If you're fed up of the weird markings, LCD screens and strange parts that come with competing "gamer-focused" keyboards, the G810 might be for you.
6. Division Zero X40
Steeled for online gaming
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: 5
Better known for producing some impressive professional keyboards, the X40 comes as part of Das Keyboard's new Division Zero gaming lineup. Available with clicky (or optionally silent) tactile keys, Das utilizes its own custom made Alpha-Zulu switches that have a very similar feel to Cherry MX Red keys. What's more, the X40 comes with interchangeable thick aluminum panels making this one of the strongest and most rigid keyboards around.
7. Turtle Beach Impact 700
Premium gaming keyboard with a minimal footprint
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Wired | Programmable keys: Yes
If you favour gaming keyboards at the more compact end of the spectrum, Turtle Beach's Impact 700 does away with a wrist-rest, and has as small a footprint as is possible for a keyboard that includes a numeric keypad and uses Cherry MX Brown keys. It does lack programmable macros, though, so lends itself more to devotees of first-person shooters – especially since it comes with spare W, A, S and D keys (along with others), and a tool that enables you to remove worn-out ones. Plus it lets you illuminate key-clusters. Not the cheapest, but worth considering by those who have a tendency to hammer their keyboards into oblivion.
8. Logitech G610
An affordable, minimal route to mechanical key nirvana
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Wired | Programmable keys: Yes
Mechanical keyboards offer a superior tactile feel to traditional membrane models, but they're damn noisy. That's why Corsair made the Strafe RGB Silent, the first mechanical keyboard to use Cherry's MX Silent keyswitch. Featuring a dampening noise system integrated into each key, it lets you get your game on without the constant clacking of keys driving you - and people around you - insane. While the quieter switches still make a noise, the snapping sound they make upon actuation is muffled in comparison to Cherry MX Red or Brown switches. The Cherry Strafe RGB Silent is also beautiful, capable of flashing all the colours of the rainbow thanks to per-key RGB backlighting.
9. Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL
Topre switches with a Cherry MX twist
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: No | Programmable keys: No
Cooler Master's NovaTouch TKL is billed as a typing, rather than gaming keyboard. As such, it misses out on standard features such as backlighting and macro keys. However, it's unique in a number of departments which makes it contender, one that's also excellent for productivity work. It's the first affordable keyboard to use topre switches, which are linear in nature and elicit a satisfying clunk when you "bottom out" (or strike the keys all the way down). The linear topre switch is a hybrid of membrane and mechanical technology and has the same actuation force as Cherry MX Reds, so there's no tactile bump on the way down. Additionally, The NovaTouch TKL is the first topre keyboard to feature compatibility with Cherry MX keycaps, so you can chop and change with ones from your existing gaming keyboards.
10. Corsair Strafe RGB Silent
Silent and deadly
Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Wired | Programmable keys: Yes
Mechanical keyboards offer a superior tactile feel to traditional membrane models, but they're damn noisy. That's why Corsair made the Strafe RGB Silent, the first mechanical keyboard to use Cherry's MX Silent keyswitch. Featuring a dampening noise system integrated into each key, it lets you get your game on without the constant clacking of keys driving you - and people around you - insane. While the quieter switches still make a noise, the snapping sound they make upon actuation is muffled in comparison to Cherry MX Red or Brown switches. The Cherry Strafe RGB Silent is also beautiful, capable of flashing all the colours of the rainbow thanks to per-key RGB backlighting.
