[katos]

The keyboard may be the most unglamorous of peripherals, with its uncomfortable tendency to conjure up images of sitting in office cubicles. But if you're a mad-keen online PC gamer then finding the best keyboard is vital.

Whether you use it to control strafing in all directions in a first-person shooter, or to select from an arsenal of spells in an MMO, it's the primary tool that allows you to showcase your skills and establish an all-important reputation. So it pays to invest in the best one available.

• A great keyboard deserves the best gaming mouse
  

With that in mind, we've selected the 10 best gaming keyboards available for all the different flavours of PC gamers. Whether you're a World of Warcraft ninja or an up-and-coming Counter-Strike: GO expert, and whatever your financial situation or space requirements, you should be able to find the best keyboard among this selection.



1. Corsair Strafe


Cherry MX Red Switches and textured keys are great for FPS or MOBA fans


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes | Features: Cherry MX Switches, USB Port, Textured and contoured keycaps


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Comfortable, textured keys
Per-key red LED backlighting
Not as premium as more expensive keyboards
No dedicated media buttons

The Strafe is an affordable mechanical keyboard with a choice of Cherry MX Red or Brown switches and attractive per-key LED backlighting. Carrying a similar design to Corsair's Vengeance keyboards, it comes with two swappable sets of WASD and QWERFD key-caps that, like the Space Bar, have a comfortable textured pattern to help you locate keys in FPS or MOBA games.

It uses a good quality plastic body, rather than alumnium, so if you prefer your keyboards to be all-metal then it's not for you. Built quality is still excellent, and the inclusion of a pass-through USB port means you can charge your mobile or another peripheral while you game.



2. Razer BlackWidow Chroma


Beautifully made and handsome to behold


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes | Features: 10 key rollover, Gaming mode option, Braided fibre cable, 5 Additional Macro keys, audio-in and microphone out, USB passthrough


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Comfortable, programmable keys
Customisable colours
Less key travel

Something of a status symbol among high-end PC gamers, Razer's BlackWidow Chroma takes a thoroughly bespoke approach to fulfilling gamers' needs. Instead of using Cherry's mechanical keys, it boasts its own specially designed ones, with less travel, but still bags of feel. This could prove to be to your taste, but you still might want to try before buying. It also has five programmable macro keys, keeping the MMO and MOBA-lovers happy, and you can customise the colours of its rainbow backlighting.



3. Roccat RYOS MK Pro


Not the prettiest, but robustly built


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes | Features: Per-key illumination, Two 32-bit ARM CPUs, Integated media hub, Advanced ant-ghosting, Five rubber feet, Roccat Talk, Roccat achivements display, 500 programmable macros


See more Roccat RYOS MK Pro deals

Easy shift key is innovative
Wide Cherry MX mechanical keys section
Blue only choice of backlight
Bulky wrist rest can't be removed

The RYOS MK Pro might just be the most high-tech gaming keyboard in existence, with not one but two 32-bit ARM processors built in. So you can record and unleash up to 500 macros on the fly, which could give you the edge in an MMO or MOBA. A clever 'Easy-Shift' key lets you remap the entire keyboard, and you can light up individual keys or groups of them. Plus it has a palm-rest, a USB hub, and built-in audio jacks, and is available with all the different flavours of Cherry MX mechanical keys – black, red, brown and blue – which have subtly different amounts of travel.



4. Cougar 600K


Worth consideration by FPS ninjas


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: No | Programmable keys: Yes | Features: Cherry MX Switch, Aluminium structure, N-KEY Rollover, 32-BIT ARM Processor, 1000Hz Polling Rate, Repeat Rate 1x/2x/4x/8x, USB Pass-through


See more Cougar 600K deals

Affordable
Sturdy build
Repeat rate function is finicky

With its brushed aluminium body, Cougar's 600K is uncommonly handsome for a keyboard, and its feature-set and customisability options manage to do justice to its looks. As with most of its peers, it uses Cherry MX mechanical keys and, uniquely, has four keys for setting repeat rate (up to 8X), letting you persuade keys that they are being held down. It lacks individual macro keys, but is especially well-suited to playing first-person shooters, with a detachable rubber palm-rest below the W, A, S, D keys.



5. Turtle Beach Impact 700


Premium gaming keyboard with a minimal footprint


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: No | Features: Steel reinforced chassis, Six-key rollover with anti-ghosting, 3.5mm mic and audio jacks, 2 x USB 2.0 ports with audio pass through


See more Turtle Beach Impact 700 deals

Compact
Numberic key pad
No programmable keys

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.



6. Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. M


Funny-looking but great value


Interface: Wireless | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: No | Features: Switch between four devices, Small and stylish, Case and tablet stand included


See more Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. M deals

Small footprint
Unique design
Cramped keys for typing
Poor for desktop use

We'll admit that if you rock up at a LAN party and pull out a Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. M, derisive hoots of laughter will probably ensue. Nevertheless, it's a unique and versatile keyboard that could end up coming in handy – particularly if you don't class yourself as a thoroughly hardcore gamer. It's tiny and wireless (via Bluetooth), and has a built-in optical sensor with buttons that acts like a mouse. And although the keyboard is a membrane one, it feels surprisingly tactile. Perfect for gaming on Android devices or when you're on the move.



7. Logitech G910 Orion Spark


Not cheap, but a very impressive piece of kit


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes | Features: Romer-G mechanical switches, RGB key illumination, ARX Control Integration, 9 programmable buttons, dedicated media controls, 113 key anti-ghosting


See more Logitech G910 Orion Spark deals

Fast, anti-ghost keys
Looks great
Pricey
No key "click" sound

The G910 Orion Spark uses another type of mechanical keys – the Romer-Gs – which, Logitech claims, are the fastest ones on the market. It's a handsome beast thanks to full colour-control over key illumination, and has a clever mobile phone dock, which is handy for those games that have accompanying apps. Nine programmable macro keys should excite the MMO/MOBA brigades, too.

Read the full review: Logitech G910 Orion Spark



8. Razer DeathStalker Ultimate


An expensive option, but with unique touch sensitive screen


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes | Features:


See more Razer DeathStalker Ultimate deals

Touch-sensitive LED screen
Custom apps
Pricey
No key "click" sound

Razer's apocalyptically named DeathStalker Ultimate is another gaming keyboard that tends to polarise opinion. It's fearsomely expensive, yet has a membrane keyboard, so if you demand mechanical keys, you can safely ignore it. But it has one totally unique feature: a touch-sensitive LED screen (with 10 programmable touch-keys above it) that has all manner of gaming applications. With custom-designed apps for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Battlefield 3, Counter-Strike: GO and Team Fortress 2, you can assign all sorts of useful functions to the touch-screen, and you can design your own apps for it if you're that way inclined. A curiosity indeed, but it might just give you the edge if set up properly.



9. Roccat RYOS TKL Pro


A compact and attractive gaming keyboard


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes | Features: Per-key illumination, Compact tenkeyless format, Easy-shift key configurations


See more Roccat RYOS TKL Pro deals

Good macro capabilities
Wrist rest
Lacks USB and audio ports
No numberpad

Essentially a RYOS MK Pro with the numeric keypad removed, Roccat's RYOS TKL Pro is one of the best-value gaming keyboards around. Like its bigger sibling, it's a great all-rounder, suitable for first-person shooters, MMOs and MOBAs, and sports Cherry MX keys and a wrist-rest (slightly oddly, given that it would otherwise be impressively compact). Three thumb-keys below the space bar give it decent macro-launching capabilities, in conjunction with Roccat's Easy-Shift system. While it lacks USB and audio ports, it still has everything you need for top-end gaming.



10. Logitech G105


Cheap, cheerful and probably enough for your needs


Interface: Wired | Keyboard backlighting: Yes | Programmable keys: Yes | Features: Long-life LED backlighting, Six programmable G-Keys, Multi-key input, Game mode switch, Instant media access, Easy to setup


See more Logitech G105 deals

Game mode switch key
Affordable
Basic design

The SteelSeries Apex M800











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[emmaraiso]

Logitech is a good company that provide best gaming keyboard and gaming mouse. I read about this website. and your post helped me for best gaming keyboard.