Gaming Keyboard.

MadYaker

Im buying a new gaming keyboard and I'm looking for suggestions. I'm not prepared to spend more than €50, I want the keys to be nicely textured and thats about it. I don't care about special functions or extra keys or any of that stuff. Thanks in advance for any help

Skylinehead

Sidewinder X4 is probably your best shout at that price.

MadYaker

That one looks good.

I was also looking at this I have a 35% discount code so that brings the price to €51.99 with free shipping.

ZeroThreat

Skylinehead wrote: »

Sidewinder X4 is probably your best shout at that price.

Pity the german keyboard layout is difference, otherwise I could get it at €35 along with the rest of my stuff from hwvs..

Tij da feen

ZeroThreat wrote: »

Pity the german keyboard layout is difference, otherwise I could get it at €35 along with the rest of my stuff from hwvs..

About 40 quid from Amazon with free delivery.

Skylinehead

ZeroThreat wrote: »

Pity the german keyboard layout is difference, otherwise I could get it at €35 along with the rest of my stuff from hwvs..

It's £30 (€37) on Amazon, who I think do free delivery on everything over £25

uncle_sam_ie

Skylinehead wrote: »

Sidewinder X4 is probably your best shout at that price.

It's the one I'm using at the moment. Great for night gaming and well made. I'd recommend it too. I will be upgrading to a mechanical keyboard soon so will probably be putting this one up for sell on Advents.ie

Sarz91

I'm in the same position but to be honest I'm just going to use an old keyboard thats been lying up in the attic while I wait for this: http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/sharkoon-skiller-budget-gaming-keyboard-launched-22-06-2012/

N64

If you really are willing to spoil yourself, the logitech g510 looks good (I have one myself that I was able to get for about €55 :pac:)

I presume you could use that 35% discount code since its sold directly from logitech? so it would come to €84.

ED E

N64 wrote: »

If you really are willing to spoil yourself, the logitech g510 looks good (I have one myself that I was able to get for about €55 :pac:)

I presume you could use that 35% discount code since its sold directly from logitech? so it would come to €84.

Another 510 user here, its pretty great. Outclasses my shít rig.

ZeroThreat

Well between pc parts & screen I've spent almost €1800 now. I purchased the razer deathadder as my mouse, but haven't decided on a keyboard yet.

So the sidewinder x4 seems a bargain, but how good is it, should I go for the G510 (£69 at amazon), the razer black widow ultimate (£100), or the qpad mk-85 (£124).

As you can see the options keep getting more expensive!

ED E

Value option / deluxe option / Entry level mechanical(Noisy!)

ZeroThreat

Was looking at this listing of 'top 10 gaming keyboards 2011' on youtube

lol'd at one of the comments, basically rubbishing all the choices made :

'Firstly, get a mechanical keyboard.Once you try one, you'll know the difference.
Secondly, if you're going for a mechanical keyboard, avoid Razer, Corsair and the CM back-lit keyboards.All the mechanical back-lit keyboards are manufactured (the PCBs) by iOne, which is a **** company.Instead, go for the ones manufactured by Costar.(Filco, Realforce, CM rapid, Das, Cherry, WASD..)
Lastly, choose the right MX switch.I prefer the browns but i like the feel of the blues (p. preference).'


I'm not sure exactly what blue or brown MX switchs are yet...

poggy

ZeroThreat wrote: »

Was looking at this listing of 'top 10 gaming keyboards 2011' on youtube

lol'd at one of the comments, basically rubbishing all the choices made :

'Firstly, get a mechanical keyboard.Once you try one, you'll know the difference.
Secondly, if you're going for a mechanical keyboard, avoid Razer, Corsair and the CM back-lit keyboards.All the mechanical back-lit keyboards are manufactured (the PCBs) by iOne, which is a **** company.Instead, go for the ones manufactured by Costar.(Filco, Realforce, CM rapid, Das, Cherry, WASD..)
Lastly, choose the right MX switch.I prefer the browns but i like the feel of the blues (p. preference).'

I'm not sure exactly what blue or brown MX switchs are yet...

http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide
This is a good guide to start, have a black widow my self MX blues. They are loud but i dont really mind the noise.

ED E

Fluffy88 wrote: »

If response times and comfort are big issues then you definitely need to checkout some mechanical keyboards, they are simply better. Here is a nice video of someone who can speak and get his point across a little better than me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHnMcFGkGcA
For gaming generally people like Black or Red switches as they allow for faster key presses.

^ Watch the video.

Fluffy88

Blues, Browns, Blacks and Reds are the most popular and widespread mechanical key-switches which are all made by Cherry.

A quick over view of the different switches is
Blues are for typing, clicky & tactile
Browns are like blues but less clicky. They are good for typing but are also good for gaming.

Blacks are non-clicky & non-tactile. These are good for gaming, better than browns but not so good for typing.
Reds are like blacks, but even less tactile and require less force to make them register a keystroke(actuate).

Tactile means the key gives a little bump when it actuates. All these switches actuate before they 'bottom out' so the key press will register before the key is fully depressed, so you don't actually have to push the keys fully down when using them.

Sorry very, very brief overview, read this article if you really want to know about mechanical switches
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide

EDIT: I need to get myself a mech keyboard so I can type faster :P

uncle_sam_ie

I got my mechanical Qpad MK-85 yesterday with the red switches. I'm liking the keyboard and glad I chose one with backlighting. I played a bit BF3 last night and it felt a lot more comfortable and hitting the keys is more defined. I can see this helping with hand fatigue during long MMO gaming sessions. Did the mechanical red switches improve my gaming performance? No, not really. I still sucked. But man, I love typing on this. If you do a lot of typing for school or work then I definitely recommend going mechanical. You will notice the difference straight away.

ZeroThreat

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

I got my mechanical Qpad MK-85 yesterday with the red switches. I'm liking the keyboard and glad I chose one with backlighting. I played a bit BF3 last night and it felt a lot more comfortable and hitting the keys is more defined. I can see this helping with hand fatigue during long MMO gaming sessions. Did the mechanical red switches improve my gaming performance? No, not really. I still sucked. But man, I love typing on this. If you do a lot of typing for school or work then I definitely recommend going mechanical. You will notice the difference straight away.

I thought the blacks and reds weren't that great for typing though

Personally, I think I'd go middle of the road for multipurpose pc, ie browns.

Was look at the das keyboard model S over at amazon, only problem is the 'ultimate eu' description, I suspect none of them on offer there are UK layout..:(.

uncle_sam_ie

ZeroThreat wrote: »

I thought the blacks and reds weren't that great for typing though

Personally, I think I'd go middle of the road for multipurpose pc, ie browns.

Was look at the das keyboard model S over at amazon, only problem is the 'ultimate eu' description, I suspect none of them on offer there are UK layout..:(.

I've only had experienced the red switches. I think all of the switches are good for typing. It's just a lot of people find the blues better because of the tactile feed back. The black less so because they have no feed back and the actuation force is the highest make them fatiguing when typing for long periods. It's a pity we can't try out the different switches somewhere before we buying. I think there is a place in London you can go. If you ever get the chance to go over.

uncle_sam_ie

You can get your Das Keyboard from here http://www.getdigital.de/products/Das_Keyboard_Model_S_Professional shipping I think is 18 euro. They are very good keyboards but they have no backlighting. Which was a must for me.

ZeroThreat

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

You can get your Das Keyboard from here http://www.getdigital.de/products/Das_Keyboard_Model_S_Professional shipping I think is 18 euro. They are very good keyboards but they have no backlighting. Which was a must for me.

Yeah, just realised about no backlighting, guess I'll have to continue my search for the perfect mechanical keyboard :pac:

Maybe I'll take a look at the qpad ones...

uncle_sam_ie

I'm happy with the Qpad so far. If you want it with brown switches though you'll have to order it direct from their website http://www.qpad.com/. If you want something a bit cheaper this one seems good. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/coolermaster-cm-storm-trigger-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-with-backlit-brown-cherry-switch-keys

ZeroThreat

Mk85s on amazon will work out about €160 after converting & changing to Irish VAT rate, while direct from qpad site €150 & €20 shipping (and I get to choose the colour switches wanted), so ordering exact one of choice from qpad for maybe €10 more is a no-brainer.

Someone described qpads as 'entry level mechanical' in the thread earlier if I recall, wouldn't like to see the midrage prices then.

Watched that ncix review someone linked. The corsairs aren't even fully mechanical, they're only hybrids, and don't seem that great tbh.

uncle_sam_ie

The Corsair keyboards aren't bad. I actually like the K60 better with the those rubbery curved orange keys that come extra. If it had backlighting I might have gone for it. The hand rest looks kinda lame though.

ZeroThreat

This filco looks to be one of the best quality mechanical keyboards, albeit without backlighting...

http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRODUCT=932

But with cheapest deliver option it still totals £142.38 :eek:

Wierd thing is the keyboard was a slightly cheaper price on amazon, but when I went to pre-confirm order to see what total would work out at, the delivery charge added brought it to exactly £142.38 :cool:

I also notice some items seem to recalculate vat @ the Irish rate when you go to checkout, yet for this one it didn't (I bought a monitor earlier in the week and it recalculated total price with higher Vat rate)

uncle_sam_ie

I say the Filcos are probably better quality but with less features. I did here they are bringing out a back lit one next year though If your buying from Amazon make sure the keyboard has a UK layout. I was reading some of the comments on Amazon were people got caught out with German layouts.

ZeroThreat

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

I say the Filcos are probably better quality but with less features. I did here they are bringing out a back lit one next year though If your buying from Amazon make sure the keyboard has a UK layout. I was reading some of the comments on Amazon were people got caught out with German layouts.

Well I'd love the look of the keyboard late at night http://www.corporate.qpad.se/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=11 I'll probably order the mk-85 direct from qpad, €149.90 + shipping of €20.

Price converted to euros on amazon is about €165 and not sure if you'd even get correct key layout.

I have no experience of actually using a mechanical keyboard to know if I'd prefer red or brown switches though, is there any store in dublin where you can test a non-tactile vs tactile??

titan18

I have the Sidewinder mentioned. It's a decent keyboard for what you pay imo. Obviously not as good as a mechanical keyboard but not really at the same price either.

Also, have the Logitech diNovo Edge for when I get lazy and want to sit back. Brilliant keyboard imo, but it's quite expensive

NTMK

ZeroThreat wrote: »

Well I'd love the look of the keyboard late at night http://www.corporate.qpad.se/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=11 I'll probably order the mk-85 direct from qpad, €149.90 + shipping of €20.

Price converted to euros on amazon is about €165 and not sure if you'd even get correct key layout.

I have no experience of actually using a mechanical keyboard to know if I'd prefer red or brown switches though, is there any store in dublin where you can test a non-tactile vs tactile??

Pc world usually have the Razer black widow (not the Stealth) ultimate (blue) and may have a steelseries 6gV2/7g (Black).

uncle_sam_ie

NTMK wrote: »

Pc world usually have the Razer black widow (not the Stealth) ultimate (blue) and may have a steelseries 6gV2/7g (Black).

I looked at the Razer but, I question the quality of Razer products.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_-MTaFbQvc
I've bought a Razer mouse last year and sent it back because it was defective.The replacement was also defective. I ended up just getting my money back.

ZeroThreat

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

I looked at the Razer but, I question the quality of Razer products.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_-MTaFbQvc
I've bought a Razer mouse last year and sent it back because it was defective.The replacement was also defective. I ended up just getting my money back.

Hopefully that wasn't the deathadder one, cos it's included in the HWVS shipment on the way to me atm..:(

uncle_sam_ie

ZeroThreat wrote: »

Well I'd love the look of the keyboard late at night http://www.corporate.qpad.se/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=11 I'll probably order the mk-85 direct from qpad, €149.90 + shipping of €20.

Price converted to euros on amazon is about €165 and not sure if you'd even get correct key layout.

I have no experience of actually using a mechanical keyboard to know if I'd prefer red or brown switches though, is there any store in dublin where you can test a non-tactile vs tactile??

Mine was €162 from OverclockersUK took 2 days to get here. I was reading in one of the forums from a guy who said it was hard to feel the tactile feed back off the browns and said if that's what you want then just go for the blues. A lot of the newer models coming out are going with the reds. The premier keyboards from Qpad and Corsair use the reds and the newer Filco's also come with the reds now. I figured the reds must be the way to go for gaming. I'm OK with them so far.

NTMK

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

I looked at the Razer but, I question the quality of Razer products.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_-MTaFbQvc
I've bought a Razer mouse last year and sent it back because it was defective.The replacement was also defective. I ended up just getting my money back.

I was just and example of a tactile switch i wouldnt buy one either

ZeroThreat wrote: »

Hopefully that wasn't the deathadder one, cos it's included in the HWVS shipment on the way to me atm..:(

From what ive heard the deathadder is ok i know a couple of people who have them and no problems.

ZeroThreat

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

Mine was €162 from OverclockersUK took 2 days to get here. I was reading in one of the forums from a guy who said it was hard to feel the tactile feed back off the browns and said if that's what you want then just go for the blues. A lot of the newer models coming out are going with the reds. The premier keyboards from Qpad and Corsair use the reds and the newer Filco's also come with the reds now. I figured the reds must be the way to go for gaming. I'm OK with them so far.

hah!, if I lived on my own I'd get the blue one

tbh, I thought the browns were supposed to have same feel as blue, just quieter, but yeah red may be better, especially for fps style games.

uncle_sam_ie

ZeroThreat wrote: »

Hopefully that wasn't the deathadder one, cos it's included in the HWVS shipment on the way to me atm..:(

The left handed one. I really wanted it to work. Maybe I was just unlucky. http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_IE/pd/productID.182251700
I have a SteelSeries mouse at the moment, http://steelseries.com/products/games/diablo-iii/steelseries-diablo-iii-mouse
I might sell it and get this one though, http://steelseries.com/products/games/guild-wars-2/guild-wars-2-gaming-mouse

ZeroThreat

Well I had a look at qpad price over at overclockers, works out at about €185 including deliver after converting, so qpad themselves still seem to be the least expensive.

ZeroThreat

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

The left handed one. I really wanted it to work. Maybe I was just unlucky. http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_IE/pd/productID.182251700
I have a SteelSeries mouse at the moment, http://steelseries.com/products/games/diablo-iii/steelseries-diablo-iii-mouse
I might sell it and get this one though, http://steelseries.com/products/games/guild-wars-2/guild-wars-2-gaming-mouse

I ordered the regular one, mainly due to people on boards recommending it, & looks fairly simple with decent dpi.

uncle_sam_ie

ZeroThreat wrote: »

Well I had a look at qpad price over at overclockers, works out at about €185 including deliver after converting, so qpad themselves still seem to be the least expensive.

OverclocksUK will price match if you call them. Scan had it for £119 so they matched it and it came to £129 with the shipping.

Procrastastudy

Secondhand G15 - A proper one not the new ones!

Procrastastudy

That guy is married! My gaydar is well off.

ZeroThreat

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

That guy is married! My gaydar is well off.

lol who's that you're referring to? The guy on youtube doing the mech keyboard review??

ZeroThreat

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

OverclocksUK will price match if you call them. Scan had it for £119 so they matched it and it came to £129 with the shipping.

I could do what you did, but why not just order from scan for £130 inc. shipping.
I haven't ordered from either site before, so any reason not to use scan?

Procrastastudy

ZeroThreat wrote: »

lol who's that you're referring to? The guy on youtube doing the mech keyboard review??

Yeah - watched a lot of his vids, he does brilliant tech reviews. Always thought that camp enthusiasm could be really annoying but he managed to make it sort of funny.

I suppose you can be camp and straight after all.

uncle_sam_ie

ZeroThreat wrote: »

I could do what you did, but why not just order from scan for £130 inc. shipping.
I haven't ordered from either site before, so any reason not to use scan?

I've never used Scan but, OverclockersUK delivery was cheaper
Scan- £12.59
OVerUK -£7.25

MadYaker

Im getting trolled by logitech. I ordered the g110 keyboard monday last week. When I got the final page of the payment process I was informed that a crappy free mouse came with the keyboard. Grand says I. The next day I get an email from them saying that they were delaying my order for a few days because the free mouse isn't stock. I say f*ck that I don't even want it, so I try to ring them and tell them just to send me the keyboard but nobody answers im on hold for ever. Today my keyboard finally arrives and guess what? No free mouse!

Also the invoice I got with the delivery says the total was 56.34e yet when I was ordering on the website the total inc vat came to 51.99e and thats all i paid them so I dunno what thats about. I won't be ordering anything from their website again.

TheDoc

I've been humming and haughing over mechanicals now for the day

I've narrowed it down to

Filco Majestouch-2
DAS
QPAD MK80
Razer Blackwidow.

Decisions decisions decisions

No irish retailer having any of them is a pain in the jax

ShadowHearth

TheDoc wrote: »

I've been humming and haughing over mechanicals now for the day

I've narrowed it down to

Filco Majestouch-2
DAS
QPAD MK80
Razer Blackwidow.

Decisions decisions decisions

No irish retailer having any of them is a pain in the jax

Komplett has razor one, for good price too. I am tempted myself.

Burgo

I was humming and hawing between the filco and the das, litterly just after ordering the das 10 minutes ago!
decision time over for the moment.

ShadowHearth

Burgo wrote: »

I was humming and hawing between the filco and the das, litterly just after ordering the das 10 minutes ago!
decision time over for the moment.

From and how much?

Burgo

ShadowHearth wrote: »

From and how much?

amazon.co.uk, comes to £125.

ShadowHearth

Burgo wrote: »

amazon.co.uk, comes to £125.

ouch