Gaming Keyboard Buyers Guide
The Best Gaming Keyboards
The keyboard is one of the most overlooked parts of a gaming setup, quite literally, as most of time your attention is on the screen. However, picking the right or wrong keyboard has a massive impact on your gaming experience. For example, some keyboards are great for first person shooters whereas others are good for touch typing or MMOs. In this guide we’ll highlight the important differences you need to know and explain how to pick the perfect gaming keyboard.
Rubber dome versus mechanical switches
The most important component of a keyboard is the array of switches which detect when you press and release keys. These may be hidden out of sight inside the keyboard, but have a massive impact on how the keyboard feels and sounds. Over the years various types of switches have been developed, each of which has its own pros and cons. The most common types of switches used in gaming keyboards are rubber dome, mechanical and optical mechanical.
How Rubber Dome Switches Work
These keyboards feature a membrane layer which is covered by rubber domes under each key. As you press down on a key the dome flexes downwards causing the inner surface, which is coated with graphite, to close a circuit to send an electrical signal to your PC. When you release the key, it is pushed back into its normal resting position by tension in the rubber.
Due to their low manufacturing cost, rubber dome switches are the most common type of keyboard available, with a huge variety to choose from.
The Good• Low noise
• Low cost
The Bad• Inconsistent feel between keypresses
• Rubber ages and becomes less responsive over time
• Hard to clean
Browse our range gaming keyboards from leading brands such as Asus, Corsair and Razer
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How Mechanical Switches Work
These keyboards feature a complex spring-loaded mechanical switch under each key. As you press down on a key this causes a spring to compress and cause two metal contacts to close a circuit sending an electrical signal to your PC. When you release the key, it is pushed back into its normal resting position by the tension in the spring.
Mechanical switches are more expensive to produce than rubber dome switches and are available in a variety of types, each of which has its own characteristics (more on this later).
The Good• Smooth movement
• Greater longevity than rubber dome switches
• Easy to clean
• Available in a wide variety of types, each with its own characteristics
The Bad• Noisier than rubber dome switches
• More expensive than rubber dome switches
Browse our range gaming keyboards from leading brands such as Asus, Corsair and Razer
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How Optical Mechanical Switches Work
These keyboards feature an even more advanced type of switch. Just like with a standard mechanical switch as you press down on a key this causes a spring to compress; however, rather than two metal contacts closing to form a circuit, actuation is detected by a light sensor. Being an optical sensor, this detects movement far quicker than two moving contacts and means the switch resets as soon as you release the key above the reset point, making optical mechanical switches far quicker than mechanical switches and a great choice for fast paced competitive games.
Optical mechanical switches are more expensive to produce than standard mechanical switches and are available in a variety of types, each of which has its own characteristics (more on this later).
The Good• Fast reset time
• Low profile
• Smooth movement
• Greater longevity than standard mechanical switches
• Easy to clean
• Available in a wide variety of types, each with its own characteristics
The Bad• Noisier than rubber dome switches
• More expensive than standard mechanical switches
Browse our range gaming keyboards from leading brands such as Asus, Corsair and Razer
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Types of mechanical switch
As already noted there are different types of mechanical and optical mechanical switches, each with their own performance and noise characteristics. This is because many keyboard manufacturers buy their switches from Cherry, a specialist German manufacturer, that uses colours rather than model numbers to differentiate its various models of switch. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular Cherry switches and why you’d pick one over another. This guide is relevant for most brands of keyboard, as they tend to use the Cherry naming convention.
Cherry MX Red and Silent Red
Cherry MX Red is one of the most popular linear switch types with gamers due to its low actuation force of 45cN. This makes them ideal for fast paced games such as FPS and MMOs and great for typing too. The standard Red switches are just as noisy as Black switches, but there’s also a Silent Red switch too which is much quieter and have a slightly shorter travel distance.
Cherry MX Speed Silver
Cherry MX Speed Silver linear switches have the same light 45cN actuation force and clicking sound of Red switches but cut the pre-travel down from 2 to 1.2mm and the total travel from 4 to 3.4mm. This means they actuate far quicker than Reds or other switches for that matter, so they could give you an edge in fast paced games. The downside to Speed Silver switches is that because the keys are so sensitive it’s quite easy to double type or even accidently press keys when your hand is resting on the keyboard.
Cherry MX Black and Silent Black
One of the oldest models of mechanical switches, Cherry MX Black linear switches are notable for their high actuation force of 60cN. This makes them one of the stiffest switches available, which can be a rude shock if you’re used to the more gentle feel of a rubber dome keyboard. Black switches are also very noisy, although there are now Silent Black versions which are much quieter and have a slightly shorter travel distance. Even so, unless you really like noisy and heavy keys we wouldn’t recommend a Black or Silent Black keyboard for gaming.
Cherry MX Brown
Cherry MX Browns are tactile switches with a 55cN operating force part-way between the linear Red and Black switches. This makes them a popular choice with typists and a good choice for playing all types of games thanks to their good balance between force, travel and noise.
Cherry MX Blue
Cherry MX Blues are another type of tactile switch, but require a high operating force of 60cN to activate compared to the lighter Brown tactile switches. Blues also have a longer pre-travel distance than Browns and can sound pretty clicky. Most people found Blues too noisy for gaming, although they are good for typists, just don’t sit too close to somebody with a keyboard with Blue switches.
| Red | Silent Red | Speed Silver | Black | Silent Black | Brown | Blue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear | Linear | Linear | Linear | Tactile | Tactile |
| Operating Force (cN) | 45 | 45 | 45 | 60 | 60 | 55 | 60 |
| Pre-Travel (mm) | 2 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2 | 1.9 | 2 | 2.2 |
| Total Travel (mm) | 4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4 | 3.7 | 4 | 4 |
| Comparative Noise (0 silent, 10 noisy) | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
If you’re still unsure use this decision tree to help steer you in the right direction. (click below)
Added Features of Gaming Keyboards
Gaming keyboards don’t just look and perform differently from boring old home/office keyboards, they also have useful extra features too.
Anti-Ghosting
Ghosting happens when you press too many keys in a short period of time for the keyboard controller to handle and it ends up losing keystrokes. For most office keyboards the limit is normally just two to three keys. However, a well-designed gaming keyboard will have a much higher limit, often as many as 10 keys, enabling you to type in a complex series of commands without losing keystrokes. This is sometimes also referred to as the number of rollovers the keyboard can cue in sequence.
Macro Keys
Give yourself an edge by choosing a gaming keyboard with dedicated function keys and Windows software that enable you to create custom macros that playback a sequence of complex keystrokes and mouse clicks with just a single keystroke. Streamers can also take advantage of this functionality by using the special keys on some Corsair keyboard to map commands such as starting, pausing and stopping recording when integrated with the company’s Elgato Stream Deck Software.
Backlighting and RGB
Many gaming keyboards have a simple backlight under the keys, but more advanced models use RGB lighting in each individual key. The best gaming keyboards include Windows software that enables you to create your own lighting patterns.
Corsair iCUE is worth a special mention as it connects all your compatible products together in a single Windows application, giving you complete control of everything from RGB lighting and effects to fan speeds and temperature monitoring.
Media Playback
Not every keyboard is created equal, and some have extra buttons and dials that allow you control your favourite media players and adjust audio volume on the fly.
Ready to buy?
Browse our range gaming keyboards from leading brands such as Asus, Corsair and Razer
RUBBER DOME KEYBOARDS >
MECHANICAL KEYBOARDS >
OPTICAL MECHANICAL KEYBOARDS >