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When you’re putting together a monster gaming PC, you need to make sure that the peripherals you’ve got are up to scratch. After all, what good is a liquid-cooled beast of a machine when your keyboard and mouse just don’t feel right? The peripherals are what you’re going to be using on a day-to-day basis, so you need to make sure you buy the right ones. Your gaming keyboard is an integral part of your setup, making it one of the most important peripherals in your whole ensemble. Here are the 10 best gaming keyboards you can buy right now.
1. Razer Huntsman V2
The ‘Razer tax’might be a very real phenomenon (whereby you’ll pay a little more for Razer merchandise just because of the name), but that doesn’t make Razer’s offerings any less joyous to use. The Huntsman V2 is an excellent mechanical gaming keyboard with incredible input latency and great switches. The associated Razer software can feel a little clunky, but once you get used to it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed to use anything else.
2. Steelseries Apex Pro
Steelseries gear is great for those who like unfussy, clean alternatives to more ‘edgy’branding like Razer or Corsair. The Apex Pro is a wonderful keyboard that comes built in with its very own mini-display, on which you can show off all kinds of animations and visuals. It also boasts adjustable mechanical switches so you can change the responsiveness of each key individually, which makes a huge difference to certain gaming esports experiences.
3. Corsair K100
If money truly is no object, then you need to get the Corsair K100. This is a high-grade, premium gaming keyboard that spares no expense; it’s got per-key lighting, incredible build quality, and Corsair’s proprietary OPX mechanical switches for absolute precision. As with other gaming keyboard makes, it’s best paired with other hardware of its kind, so if you’ve got a Corsair mouse or even Corsair RAM inside your machine, then Corsair’s keyboards are the way to go.
4. Logitech G213 Prodigy
Although we strongly recommend picking up a mechanical gaming keyboard for your setup, if your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, then a membrane option like Logitech’s G213 would be a good alternative. It won’t feel as tactile or clicky as a mechanical board, but the G213 still boasts great RGB lighting and good key travel, meaning a solid typing experience and a great gaming profile. As budget gaming keyboards go, this is a great option.
5. Roccat Vulcan II Mini
TKL keyboards (that’s ‘tenkeylessâ) are becoming more and more popular among gamers who are somewhat challenged for space, and for our money, the best of them is Roccat’s Vulcan II Mini. It’s a tiny keyboard that takes up just 65% of the space of a regular keyboard, but it doesn’t skimp on quality at all, with great-feeling switches and a unique aesthetic that Roccat can truly call its own. If you like big, beastly keyboards, this one’s not for you, but if you’re an efficient sort of gamer, apply here.
6. HyperX Alloy Core
Another incredible keyboard that often drops to simply breathtakingly low prices, the Alloy Core doesn’t have mechanical switches, but at a price this low, it hardly matters. If you’re putting together a gaming setup and you don’t have the money to drop on mechanical keyboards, then the Alloy Core is a great alternative to the G213 Prodigy. It’s another fairly low-profile affair, although it does boast across-the-board lighting (with no per-key customisation, sadly).
7. Patriot Viper V765
The Viper V765’s angular design won’t be for everyone, but if you like its sharp, uncompromising lines and angles, then you’ll be in for a great ride. It’s a mechanical keyboard, but it doesn’t cost what you’d expect for an offering with this level of quality, boasting a budget price and a premium construction. You’ll also find solid dust and water resistance here, so if there’s a minor spillage, your keyboard should be able to weather the storm, so to speak.
8. Mountain Everest Max
The Everest Max is a slightly more unusual gaming keyboard. While it doesn’t quite have the sleek feel of some of its rivals, it does have one thing going for it: modularity. You can essentially make the Mountain Everest Max look and feel however you like, thanks to a series of modules that clip onto the main body. These include a wrist rest, an info panel, and a ten-key number board, and you can decide which of those modules you want or need at any given time.
9. Asus ROG Strix Flare II Animate
Frankly, this is a gaming keyboard that must be seen to be believed. The ROG Strix Flare II Animate boasts a rather unique and special matrix display that lets the keyboard show images or animations in the top right-hand corner of its body, which is difficult to demonstrate, so we’d recommend watching a video to see what this beauty can do. Naturally, it’s also got great mechanical switches, dedicated media controls, and USB passthrough.
10. Logitech G915
Last but not least, we have this wireless offering from Logitech, which connects via the company’s proprietary Lightspeed wireless technology. It’s speedier and more reliable than Bluetooth, and it still offers all the convenience you’d expect from a wireless keyboard, so if you’re going to be moving around a lot or your keyboard and mouse are situated far from your machine, this is the way to go. The switches feel great and the lighting looks nice, too.
