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Looking for a new keyboard

Raduque

Raduque

Lifer
I don't care about switches or any of that silly nonsense, as long as it's not a laptop/chiclet style keyboard.

I only have 3 requirements.
A layout requirement: A large Backspace key, a large reverse "L" shaped enter key, and a right Shift key flanked by / and \.

Backlighting.

Media keys.

It's been difficult to find a keyboard exactly like this on my own, so maybe ya'll can help. The layout requirement is not 100% firm if the price is right.

Thanks!
 
As long as you avoid Steelseries, Razer and Logitech you have pretty good odds of getting a decent keyboard that isn't egregiously overpriced. The Microsoft Sidewinder x4 is the arguably the best rubber-dome keyboard on the market at the moment and it comes in between $39.99 and $49.99. Beyond that, there are the standard quality mechanical brands Das, Filco, Leopold, Ducky, Deck, Noppoo and so on.
 
What Doom4d said.

Mechanical keyboards generally do not have dedicated media keys, but some of them have media keys via Fn+Fkeys which you might find sufficient. Leopold and Filco do not have backlit models. I would suggest Ducky. Most brands offer boards with international English layout (the one with L-shaped enter, etc.) in addition to a US English layout, but the same vendor might not have both so you might have to dig a little.

Sidewinder X4 is an unique combination of cheap, backlit and high quality (as in N-key rollover).

And never buy Razer. Not for a keyboard anyway. Their mice are OK as long as you do not expect the mouse to last for over a year. Oh and their drivers are now spyware too. 😛
 
The Sidewinder X4 definitely looks like the keyboard for me. I've no interest in anything with loud, clicky keys.

I have no idea what N-key rollover means.
 
Raduque said:
The Sidewinder X4 definitely looks like the keyboard for me. I've no interest in anything with loud, clicky keys.

I have no idea what N-key rollover means.
Click to expand...
Means you can press any combination* of keys at the same time and they will all register correctly.

Keyboards without N-key rollover are all 2-key rollover. That is, there exists a combination of three keys which does not register correctly. I find it weird that nearly every manufacturer making expensive "gaming" keyboards is getting away with 2KRO. You see them babble about "anti ghosting/blocking optimized key matrixes", which means "we'll make cheap 2KRO keyboards, shuffle around the non-working key configurations and pray you don't encounter them". If they gave two shits about quality, they would have NKRO, that is, no ghosting/blocking at all.

Every NKRO board except Sidewinder X4 has mechanical keyswitches. X6 is very nearly NKRO too, it uses the same proprietary Microsoft tech as the X4 but has a design defect that causes it to fail some very specific key combination.

BTW, relatively quiet mechanical keys do exist. There are also linear force switches which do not have a tactile "click".

* Well, at least 6 keys at a time, which is enough for pretty much anyone. Some boards can do better but there's always some limitation as long as you use USB. With PS/2 it is possible to have every key register correctly.
 
I think you guys are missing a key part of his keyboard requirements, the "reverse L enter/return key". Just about every keyboard that has been listed uses the newer US layout with an enter/return key being a "==" as opposed to "_|". Like the image below:
41qCirqJBKL._SL500_.jpg


However, that keyboard does not meet his other requirement of having a large backspace key, which is why I am not recommending it to him.
 
Last edited:
Fallen Kell said:
After doing some searching this is the layout he is looking for:

$T2eC16F,!%29cE9s4PsN+PBQib4vYVcQ~~60_3.JPG
Click to expand...

That's exactly the key layout I prefer. I can live with another layout though. Backlit keys and media control keys are my #1 and #2 requirements that I am firm on.

Edit: Sidewinder X4 looks like it's sold out everywhere.
 
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