Gaming keyboard recommendation?

[MentalIlness]

I posted a while back about the EVGA Torq 10 mouse...and very recently picked up the standard version of that mouse, not the carbon fiber one.

Anyway, I am now looking for a Gaming keyboard.

The keyboard I am eyeing is the Corsair K70 MX Cherry Red Mechanical.

I do however "want" a mechanical keyboard. And quite honestly, I would highly prefer backlighting. And I am finding it hard to find a gaming keyboard that has more than one color option for backlighting. As it seems the Corsair boards are single colors like blue or red.

However, I want green backlighting....and what would be even better would be multiple colors, as long as it had the green option.

I have no problem with a black keyboard, but I would prefer a silver one.

So, is there any "gaming keyboards" that has at least "green backlighting" that come in "silver" ? If not, black is perfectly fine.

Suggestions?

Edit: I used to have a Saitek Cyborg. But for some reason after we moved from Maryland to Virginia, it came up missing. It was a very nice keyboard.

 

[DigDog]

CODE tkl ; i'm gonna write a review just now, will be up in 5 min.

 

[bononos]

I posted a while back about the EVGA Torq 10 mouse...and very recently picked up the standard version of that mouse, not the carbon fiber one.

Anyway, I am now looking for a Gaming keyboard.

The keyboard I am eyeing is the Corsair K70 MX Cherry Red Mechanical.

I do however "want" a mechanical keyboard. And quite honestly, I would highly prefer backlighting. And I am finding it hard to find a gaming keyboard that has more than one color option for backlighting. As it seems the Corsair boards are single colors like blue or red.

However, I want green backlighting....and what would be even better would be multiple colors, as long as it had the green option.

I have no problem with a black keyboard, but I would prefer a silver one.

So, is there any "gaming keyboards" that has at least "green backlighting" that come in "silver" ? If not, black is perfectly fine.
........

Gaming mechanicals with features gamers might like like multiple colors, macro/multimedia keys, silver trim, usb/headphone ports are not made by more business oriented brands. So your best bet is gaming brands like Corsair/CM/Razer.
Don't go for the code. Its just a more expensive standard keyboard with a dip switch to change key layouts like dvorak.

 

[DigDog]

ok, seriously now.

i like very much the code because it comes with cherry clear switches, which you won't find anywhere else. i find the other switches to be too light, with my big hands and 20 years of pounding on rubber dome keys.

There's a ton of well priced mech kbs with just about any layout, ergonomics, backlight color and switch type you could want; most are cheaper than the code anyway.

Razer makes their own, green-backlit keys with an imitation cherry, which is very close to the cherry and they claim is better.
CM makes many models, and has even the cherry green available on them. some even have green backlighting.

just go to amazon and find all the kbs within your budget, then look for the one you like the best - mechanical keyboards tend to be very similar in build quality and functionalities since well, it's all about the swtches, which are made by cherry and not those who put the brand on the finished product.

imho - i'd stay well away from cherry red; they are VERY light and you are likely to get tons of accidental keypresses, unless you have surgeon's fingers.
some folks on quakelive swear by them - i hate them, and i'd rather have brown or black.

truth is, buying mech kbs is mostly done FOR SCIENCE!, that is, you close your eyes, cross your fingers, and buy one randomly and hope you like the switch type, because there's no explaining IRL what feels good to me or to know what it will feel like to you.

 

[MentalIlness]

Does this keyboard actually do this ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7s1YCy6XgM

 

[MentalIlness]

I looked into the Cooler Master boards. Not too impressed by them.

Leaning more toward Corsair or Razor. How is Logitech Gaming boards nowadays?

 

[MentalIlness]

My mistake. It is this keyboard that has the multiple colors. But apparently isnt on the market yet. Its the Corsair K70 MX RGB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823816022

 

[DigDog]

the K70 is *very* popular;
Corsair have a way with making themselves the most purchased brand, but again their products are generally very good and i can tell you their customer support is exceptional. So even if i can't judge personally, i doubt you would be disappointed if you got yourself one.

I'd take a look at this here: http://www.razerzone.com/gb-en/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-blackwidow-ultimate
thats the new razer with their own brand switches.

People have said tons of bad about razer; but the deathadder and goliathus are up there with the very best of the gaming gear for FPS games (and other stuff they make is pretty good too).
I wouldn't be surprised if these keyboards turned out to be great.


You see, the thing is, the market is so squeezed, that when you buy $100 worth of stuff, you get $100 worth of stuff (at retail); its gone the time when you'd get $10 or $200 depending on what you bought.
In other words, it's really hard for you to buy a *bad* mechanical keyboard ....

 

[bononos]

My mistake. It is this keyboard that has the multiple colors. But apparently isnt on the market yet. Its the Corsair K70 MX RGB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823816022

You might want to check if Corsair has fixed their problems with failing leds.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=35684746
The new RGB model should fix things but it might still be an issue on older models.
The logitech 710 has o-rings to dampen the noise. Razer is generally poorer in quality apart from the cherry switches it uses and it has bloatware synapse drivers. I just mentioned it because the brand was one of earliest to implement gaming features like fancy backlights and macro keys.

 

[JamesV]

If you buy a Corsair, read up on the model, because I've seen tons of posts about the backlighting going out on certain models.

Razer I'd pass; my Blackwidow Ultimate was the worst keyboard I've owned, with phantom clicks, multiple clicks, terrible software, and loud as hell.

I ended up going with the Logitech g710+ (which doesn't fit your wants) and love it. I've used Blues, Reds, and now Browns, and I highly prefer the feel of these browns to any other I've used. The only thing that sucks about it, which I didn't realize until I got it from Newegg, is that you cannot rebind all the keys like you could with every other Logitech/Razer/Whatever brand; only the G keys on the side are bindable.

 

[Ben90]

I ended up going with the Logitech g710+ (which doesn't fit your wants) and love it. I've used Blues, Reds, and now Browns, and I highly prefer the feel of these browns to any other I've used. The only thing that sucks about it, which I didn't realize until I got it from Newegg, is that you cannot rebind all the keys like you could with every other Logitech/Razer/Whatever brand; only the G keys on the side are bindable.

Use the registry if you just want to strait up rebind keys.

If you want macros, you really want something that can hook into the OS; I recommend AutoHotKey. It's so much more powerful than included keyboard software.

 

[vbuggy]

The new Razer has what AFAIK is a Cherry knockoff with a few tweaks. I'm not the worlds greatest Cherry fan (and even then, reds only for me - and I point and laugh at your o-rings) but *bad* Cherrys? No thanks.

I've had no real dealbreaker issues with the K-series Corsairs beyond compatibility of the dual-USB arrangement with a few (prebuilt) mobos at the BIOS stage. They seem just as reliable as the apparently more keyboard-nerd-grail Filcos, of which I've had to RMA a few (considerably more often than any specific type of dome or scissor keyboard to date). No LED failure yet, but then I don't drool all over my keyboards.

The black-switched Mionix Zibal 60 TKL has green backlighting if that helps at all (probably not, they're Swedish so probably hard to get hold of in the US).

 

[toughtrasher]

I might be biased but I'd also not recommend Corsair products. I bought one brand new around 6 months or so ago and within weeks the lights went out and I couldn't get it fixed. I got a refund but not trying that stuff again.

 

[vbuggy]

I guess it depends on how you use it as I pointed out above. For some, everything they do is someone else's fault. I've traded more than one 'mint' keyboard which has had the telltale stains of a liquid spill. If those had been backlit boards I'd imagine they'd have gone out.

 

[DigDog]

i must be the biggest corsair fanboy ever; because i've had products fail and within .. idk, 4 days? i had a new one in my hand, no questions, just immediate RMA service.

also, they are clearly trying reeealy hard to be the "quality" company, and thats exactly how i'd run a company myself.

their cases are great; their PSU are very good. their mice aren't utter crap. (sorry corsair). if i were you, i'd risk it.

 

[NickelPlate]

It's not the flashiest kb around but my Deck Legend 105 is 8 years still going strong.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Razer I'd pass; my Blackwidow Ultimate was the worst keyboard I've owned, with phantom clicks, multiple clicks, terrible software, and loud as hell.

I loved my Razer when I originally got it about 2-3 years ago but now they updated to their new "Synapse" software and it's horrible. No way to revert back to older drivers either once you update the firmware. Stay away.

 

[Sattern]

When I got my keyboard I didn't look at the style, but of how fast I type and if I can use it efficiently.

Of course you get used to it, but I got the idea of mine at the school I used to go to.

Works great, and allows me to type at very fast speeds without much error.

Overall i'm satisfied with it and have been since 2006 .

 

[QueBert]

My Blackwidow Ultimate BF4 keyboard took a dump today. I absolutely love the clickiness feel of the keys and the loudness of them. A lot of people don't, but I loved how it felt to type on it. The regular Ultimate has green backlight. I went to BB to get a replacement and ended up with a g710+, imho typing on the Razer was much nicer - but I might adjust to this one with time. Also don't know why people have an issue with the software, I didn't love it but it did everything I needed it to and just worked.

 

[DigDog]

Synapse needs to die in some agonizing way ..
why?
it's basically just a device driver, but it wants to stay online to .. annoy you. it sends the info from yoru settings to razer, so that "in the event of a terrorist attack, when you escape to safety and plug in your Razer(tm) device, all your settinsg will be restored!!"
like we f* care about that marketing bs , plus you must register witgh razer with a username and password, and its also not-quite-as-bloatware-as-logitech-but-nearly.
all of which is 100% unnecessary.

so yes.

but however i have to say - Razer *do* have the legacy drivers back on the site (at one time they had been removed, i can only assume the nerd rage from users forced them to put them back), so all you need to do is a bit of digging on the ol' google.

 

[Ben90]

I don't understand the hate of Synapse. Register using a dispostable address then uninstall after everything is set up the way you want it. Just like any other mouse software except the login part which takes upwards of seconds.

 

[DigDog]

what?
synapse needs to be running for your mouse to actually use it.
you could firewall it, but its still bloatware, considering it's constantly polling the ports to try to reach razer's servers.

 

[Ben90]

*Rewrote to remove the sassy, since it wasn't needed*

The only usefulness Synapse has is the ability to change things on the hardware side of the mouse. All your DPI settings, button remappings, macros, and even light settings reside in the internal memory of the mouse and don't need any software after it has been configured the way you want it.

Synapse is tricky though as it attempts to fool the user into thinking it is required for basic mouse functionality. At least for my Ouroboros, if you close out of Synapse correctly, it restores the hardware back to defaults. A simple solution is to configure things the way you want them and kill Synapse through task manager and promptly uninstall.

I agree this is pretty lame, but I can't actually fault Razer mice for Synapse since a true power user is going to go through the exact same steps with any mouse software sans the throwaway email and ctrl+alt+del. I love to talk crap about Razer as much as the next guy, but lets make sure we are focusing our hate on real issues such as shitty build quality and horrible build quality. If you want some macros, use real scripting software such as AHK.