# Favorite Gaming Keyboard



## danthrax

I used to game quite frequently,  you would maybe have referred to me as a "hardcore" gamer.  I've taken a break from gaming but have recently started playing some old/new favorites (Diablo 2 LOD, Crysis, Counter-Strike: Source).  

I'd like to get a new keyboard and am wondering what the rest of you use and why you like it?  Price really doesn't matter right now, I just want to know what people like and why.  Thanks guys/girls.


----------



## Matthew1990

Microsoft X6


----------



## ganzey

works amazing, lights up red, blue, and purple. i won it, but i think it is around $70.


----------



## danthrax

ganzey said:


> works amazing, lights up red, blue, and purple. i won it, but i think it is around $70.




Ahh very cool.  Do the keys themselves light up or is there LED's behind the keys?  I think something that lights up would be great because it's usually dark where my PC is and it'd be nice to see the keys.


----------



## Matthew1990

X6 had illuminated keys, look it up.


----------



## danthrax

Matthew1990 said:


> X6 had illuminated keys, look it up.



Just looked at it, it looks like it's a little bit cheaper brand new than the other one also.


----------



## jarlmaster47

I just use a simple ps2 keyboard. 10 bucks ftw! but I am thinking about getting a g15


----------



## danthrax

The g15 looks pretty sweet too.  I like the audio control panel on it.  Its also got a very sleek profile which looks nice!


----------



## salvage-this

It's basic but I like the feel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109201


----------



## voyagerfan99

First Gen G15 is the only gaming KB I've ever owned. I'm really happy with it because it types quiet and the keys are large and comfortable.


----------



## FairDoos

Ive owned 2 Gaming keyboards, the X6 Sidewinder and the Logitech G11 and i must say i prefer the G11 sort of due to its high big keys and more "G" keys its generally an all round good bored the X6 just has the looks though even though i loved it till i spilt my orange juice on it.. LOL


----------



## meticadpa

If price isn't an object, get a mechanical keyboard.

"Gaming" keyboards are just overpriced bundles of crap with some flashy lights to confuse the consumer into thinking that they're actually worth the money that they're paying for them.

Much the same with gaming headsets.


----------



## Calibretto

Logitech G19, hands down.






I don't own one, but I've played with one before and it's absolutely amazing.


----------



## meticadpa

Calibretto said:


> Logitech G19, hands down.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't own one, but I've played with one before and it's absolutely amazing.


$10 membrane keyboard with backlighting and a screen. Not worth the money at all.


----------



## danthrax

meticadpa said:


> If price isn't an object, get a mechanical keyboard.
> 
> "Gaming" keyboards are just overpriced bundles of crap with some flashy lights to confuse the consumer into thinking that they're actually worth the money that they're paying for them.
> 
> Much the same with gaming headsets.



I understand it's an easy item to get ripped off on, which is unfortunate...  What would be an example of a "mechanical keyboard"?

Edit: Now I know what the difference is, here is an article for anyone else who did not know

Mechanical vs. Membrane


----------



## Calibretto

meticadpa said:


> $10 membrane keyboard with backlighting and a screen. Not worth the money at all.


You're really generalizing and overlooking some nice features of the G19. Yes, it has a screen, but it's a really nice looking LCD that's super useful. It also has numerous macro keys, a nice volume wheel, D-pad, and tons more.


----------



## Gooberman

my favorite one was the g11 until my sister poured pop onto it because i told her to get off and it seems my mom backs her on everything >.>


----------



## linkin

I have the G15 & G5 mouse, they make an awesomesauce combo! Got them both used for $50 AUD each, can't beat it at that price


----------



## danthrax

linkin said:


> I have the G15 & G5 mouse, they make an awesomesauce combo! Got them both used for $50 AUD each, can't beat it at that price



Damn that is a good deal for the combo, especially in Australia!

Did you buy them new as a combo or used?


----------



## linkin

I actually got the mouse off bomberboysk and i got the keyboard from ebay.


----------



## mihir

Get the G15 Keyboard I am using it and very happy with it.
The G19 looks good and feels good but is not that value for money


----------



## PohTayToez

I'm not even much of a PC gamer, but I love my first gen G15.  It really has a classic keyboard feel, plus you can set up the LCD to display all sorts of different information about your computer.


----------



## danthrax

PohTayToez said:


> I'm not even much of a PC gamer, but I love my first gen G15.  It really has a classic keyboard feel, plus you can set up the LCD to display all sorts of different information about your computer.



I'm leaning towards getting one of these now after hearing all the good things everyone has had to say about them.  What kind of stuff can you display on the LCD screen?


----------



## Hsv_Man

danthrax said:


> I'm leaning towards getting one of these now after hearing all the good things everyone has had to say about them.  What kind of stuff can you display on the LCD screen?



Same a friend of mine has one you can display time, cpu usage, temps thats all i can remember off the top of my head major difference with the g19 is that it just has a colour lcd and can play visualizations on it when listening to music.


----------



## PohTayToez

danthrax said:


> I'm leaning towards getting one of these now after hearing all the good things everyone has had to say about them.  What kind of stuff can you display on the LCD screen?



Well, right now I just have it displaying my download/upload traffic along with a graph showing use in real time.  Other basic options are Memory/CPU usage, fan speeds and temps, songs/playlist navigation, clock, etc.  You can also find programs designed for specific games that will display things such as life/ammo.  You can find all kinds of other apps here:
http://www.g15mods.com/forum/


----------



## Geoff

I have the original G15 as well and love it.  What I love most is that I can have the time displayed on the LCD, that way when I'm playing games or watching movies I know if I'm going to be late for work or so I don't forget to take the food out of the oven.  I also love the backlit keyboard, although I NEVER use the "G" keys, and it takes up quite a bit of room.


----------



## danthrax

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126034&cm_re=g15-_-23-126-034-_-Product

$59.99 after MIR on newegg, not a bad price?


----------



## PohTayToez

[-0MEGA-];1479105 said:
			
		

> I have the original G15 as well and love it.  What I love most is that I can have the time displayed on the LCD, that way when I'm playing games or watching movies I know if I'm going to be late for work or so I don't forget to take the food out of the oven.  I also love the backlit keyboard, although I NEVER use the "G" keys, and it takes up quite a bit of room.



Yeah, it's definitely a behemoth, but even not being a gamer I'll occasionally find a use for the G keys.  The other day I performing a bunch of basic operations on several pictures in Photoshop.  I programmed one of the keys to just input the shortcut keys for the operations I was doing in order, so I all I had to do was open a picture and hit a single key, and it did what I wanted to and then saved and closed the picture.


----------



## danthrax

Are the G keys the 6 keys on the left-hand side of the keyboard?  That's a really nice feature...


----------



## PohTayToez

danthrax said:


> Are the G keys the 6 keys on the left-hand side of the keyboard?  That's a really nice feature...



Six keys on the 2nd Gen G15, 18 keys on the 1st gen.


----------



## Geoff

PohTayToez said:


> Yeah, it's definitely a behemoth, but even not being a gamer I'll occasionally find a use for the G keys.  The other day I performing a bunch of basic operations on several pictures in Photoshop.  I programmed one of the keys to just input the shortcut keys for the operations I was doing in order, so I all I had to do was open a picture and hit a single key, and it did what I wanted to and then saved and closed the picture.


That's a good idea actually, never even thought that!


----------



## Feuerfrei.x

Calibretto said:


> Logitech G19, hands down.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't own one, but I've played with one before and it's absolutely amazing.


wat the hells the little screen for - is it like one on those all in one pcs from the 80's , cuz i dont think you will be able to play Grand theft Auto or other games on a screen like that


----------



## russb

Jackassluver said:


> wat the hells the little screen for - is it like one on those all in one pcs from the 80's , cuz i dont think you will be able to play Grand theft Auto or other games on a screen like that



  Dont make us English all sound like ediots,if you had read all the post instead of the last one you would know what it for.


----------



## Geoff

Jackassluver said:


> wat the hells the little screen for - is it like one on those all in one pcs from the 80's , cuz i dont think you will be able to play Grand theft Auto or other games on a screen like that


Displaying system info, a clock, to control media, play a slideshow, etc.


----------



## danthrax

Jackassluver said:


> wat the hells the little screen for - is it like one on those all in one pcs from the 80's , cuz i dont think you will be able to play Grand theft Auto or other games on a screen like that



Although it would be cool if the screen mimicked what you were doing on your monitor, like displayed a miniature version of it...  This feature wouldn't serve much of a purpose but it'd be kinda cool!


----------



## ganzey

i think u can also get it to display stuff like stats and standing during games like cod.


----------



## linkin

With the G15/19 you can use Echovoice Gamer Statistics for CSS and it's awesome, except my install of it is broken.


----------



## danthrax

linkin said:


> With the G15/19 you can use Echovoice Gamer Statistics for CSS and it's awesome, except my install of it is broken.



Well that's perfect, I play CSS more than anything else!


----------



## Aastii

I agree with meticadpa. I can't afford a gaming keyboard or mechanical keyboard, however I have a £16 Logitech media keyboard and I game. In every game I play, I am 9 times out of 10 at the top of the pile. I'm not showing off, just pointing out even though I don't have a thorough-bred keyboard, I still beat people that have gaming peripherals. I have played with gaming keyboards and mice, and don't do any different to when I have my £16 keyboard and £4 mouse

They aren't any better than normal keyboards, they just have flashing lights and pointless buttons. You can get cheap backlit keyboards that work as well as the gaming ones, you can get ones with programable keys for cheap, again, that work as well as the gaming ones.

It is the equivelant of getting an alienware computer: doesn't work any better than one you put together yourself, but because it has angles and lights, you pay way over the odds for it


----------



## Geoff

Aastii said:


> I agree with meticadpa. I can't afford a gaming keyboard or mechanical keyboard, however I have a £16 Logitech media keyboard and I game. In every game I play, I am 9 times out of 10 at the top of the pile. I'm not showing off, just pointing out even though I don't have a thorough-bred keyboard, I still beat people that have gaming peripherals. I have played with gaming keyboards and mice, and don't do any different to when I have my £16 keyboard and £4 mouse
> 
> They aren't any better than normal keyboards, they just have flashing lights and pointless buttons. You can get cheap backlit keyboards that work as well as the gaming ones, you can get ones with programable keys for cheap, again, that work as well as the gaming ones.
> 
> It is the equivelant of getting an alienware computer: doesn't work any better than one you put together yourself, but because it has angles and lights, you pay way over the odds for it


If one has an economy car and one has a Ferrari, the economy car may reach the destination first, but that doesn't mean the drive was just as fun.

If you didn't catch my point, it's that while cheapo keyboards and mice do work and get the job done, and while you may win some games, having a gaming keyboard makes gaming easier and more enjoyable.


----------



## danthrax

[-0MEGA-];1479836 said:
			
		

> If one has an economy car and one has a Ferrari, the economy car may reach the destination first, but that doesn't mean the drive was just as fun.
> 
> If you didn't catch my point, it's that while cheapo keyboards and mice do work and get the job done, and while you may win some games, having a gaming keyboard makes gaming easier and more enjoyable.



I agree with you, the point of me getting a gaming keyboard is not to make me better at games (I am damn good as is , and know that it is ridiculous to think a new keyboard would help).  It's simply for enjoyment, I would like to have GPU/CPU temp monitors on an LCD screen and something as simple as backlighting has always been appealing to me.


----------



## Aastii

[-0MEGA-];1479836 said:
			
		

> If one has an economy car and one has a Ferrari, the economy car may reach the destination first, but that doesn't mean the drive was just as fun.
> 
> If you didn't catch my point, it's that while cheapo keyboards and mice do work and get the job done, and while you may win some games, having a gaming keyboard makes gaming easier and more enjoyable.



Why would you want it easier? If you are already winning, why make it even easier, would make it boring. If you mean easier in the way that you can see ammo, scoreboard etc on the screen like on a Logitech g keyboard, having used one I found myself looking at the HUD on screen still, and not being at a disadvantage, and pressing tab to see the scoreboard, and again, not being at a disadvantage. I never use programable buttons either in games and I know nobody that does

And how so more enjoyable? I play games for the experience. I play for the immersion, for the people I play with, for fun. Having a different bit of plastic under my fingers that I don't see doesn't change that experience at all.

I suppose at the end of the day it is all preference, but it is all a waste to me. You don't get any worth while extras from a £100 keyboard over a £20 one


----------



## Geoff

Aastii said:


> Why would you want it easier? If you are already winning, why make it even easier, would make it boring. If you mean easier in the way that you can see ammo, scoreboard etc on the screen like on a Logitech g keyboard, having used one I found myself looking at the HUD on screen still, and not being at a disadvantage, and pressing tab to see the scoreboard, and again, not being at a disadvantage. I never use programable buttons either in games and I know nobody that does
> 
> And how so more enjoyable? I play games for the experience. I play for the immersion, for the people I play with, for fun. Having a different bit of plastic under my fingers that I don't see doesn't change that experience at all.
> 
> I suppose at the end of the day it is all preference, but it is all a waste to me. You don't get any worth while extras from a £100 keyboard over a £20 one


A keyboard does not make you better at gaming, unless you are currently using one of the worst keyboards ever made.  What I was referring to was with a gaming keyboard such as the G15, they have backlit keys and buttons to make it easier to find the correct key in dark environments, they have switches which disable the Windows key so you don't accidentally hit it instead of ALT or CTRL, they have programmable keys which can be used to replace several keystrokes, but my favorite is with the G15 I can see the current time, CPU/RAM usage, temps, game info, and control my background music.


----------



## funkysnair

i have gone from a cheap £5 keyboard to a saitek eclipse II and now im awaiting my g15....

they make alot of diference in my opinion i cant be bothered to explain why in great detail but i wil say they just feel better and have more options/settings!

currently awaiting on a belkin nostromo too


----------



## danthrax

funkysnair said:


> i have gone from a cheap £5 keyboard to a saitek eclipse II and now im awaiting my g15....
> 
> they make alot of diference in my opinion i cant be bothered to explain why in great detail but i wil say they just feel better and have more options/settings!
> 
> currently awaiting on a belkin nostromo too



Options and Settings = :good:

It is also cool that you can disable your windows key and stuff like that when gaming so you don't accidentally bring up the start menu when you're about to shoot someone's face.

and like Omega said, it'd be very nice to monitor your GPU/CPU temps and stuff like that via the keyboard's LCD screen, rather than alt+tabbing your way to your temp monitor...


----------



## kyle69

just get a razor i love the feeling of the keys and their always the best no matter witch one u get


----------



## funkysnair

dam my g15 is brilliant......


----------



## danthrax

kyle69 said:


> just get a razor i love the feeling of the keys and their always the best no matter witch one u get



Who makes the razor?


----------



## linkin

I have heard that many razors have issues... keys not working after a while and the dreaded "not able to use this combo of keys" because of how they are grouped or something. almost every keyboard gets this... but i dont know.


----------



## Aastii

danthrax said:


> Who makes the razor?





linkin said:


> I have heard that many razors have issues... keys not working after a while and the dreaded "not able to use this combo of keys" because of how they are grouped or something. almost every keyboard gets this... but i dont know.



@danthrax: Razer is the company, Razer makes Razer products:

http://www.razerzone.com/

@Linkin: I've never had that problem with any keyboard Linkin. The only thing I can think of that you are on about is ghosting or jamming, however, again a problem I have never had with my cheap keyboards


----------



## linkin

Aastii said:


> @danthrax: Razer is the company, Razer makes Razer products:
> 
> http://www.razerzone.com/
> 
> @Linkin: I've never had that problem with any keyboard Linkin. The only thing I can think of that you are on about is ghosting or jamming, however, again a problem I have never had with my cheap keyboards



Maybe i'm thinking wireless keyboards. my brothers crappy hp wireless one doesn't let you press Ctrl w, and d at the same time. so you can't crouch and move diagonally right.


----------

