Here’s a list of all of the gaming keyboards out there (at least the ones that I can think of at the moment). The list is intended to give a breakdown of the most important features you’d expect to find on a gaming keyboard and highlight which keyboards do (or don’t) have those features.
Now you can compare one with the other to get a rough idea of which is the best gaming keyboard.
The columns are as follows:
- Name – well duh, what’s the keyboard called?
- Backlit – no it doesn’t have any, yes it does have but in one colour, or multi means you have some choice over the colour
- Macro Keys – does it have a dedicated set of programmable keys?
- Windows Lock – can you lock the Windows key to prevent yourself from accidentally dropping out of the game and back to the desktop? Sometimes called a ‘gaming mode’.
- USB – how many additional USB sockets does the keyboard provide? Are they just USB 1.1 or the better 2.0?
- Audio I/O – are there any audio pass-through sockets for headsets and/or microphones?
- Multimedia Controls – does the keyboard give you any form of control over your media player?
- Price – check the price of the keyboard at Amazon (US or UK) to get a decent idea of how much you need to spend and how much you can save on the recommended retail price
| Name | Backlit | Macro Keys |
Windows Lock |
USB | Audio I/O |
Multimedia Controls |
Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alienware Tactx | Multi | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |  |
 |
| Cyber Snipa Warboard | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | |
|
| Logitech G11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 x 1.1 | No | Yes | |
|
| Logitech G110 | Multi | Yes | Yes | 1 x 2.0 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Logitech G15 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 x 1.1 | No | Yes | |
|
| Logitech G19 | Multi | Yes | Yes | 2 x 2.0 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Microsoft Reclusa | Yes | Yes | No | 2 x 1.1 | No | Yes | |
|
| Microsoft Sidewinder X4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
|
| Microsoft Sidewinder X6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
|
| OCZ Elixir | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
|
| OCZ Elixir II | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
|
| OCZ Illuminati | Multi | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | |
|
| OCZ Sabre | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
|
| Razer Arctosa | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
|
| Razer BlackWidow | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||
| Razer BlackWidow Ultimate | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 x 2.0 | Yes | Yes | ||
| Razer Lycosa | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 x 2.0 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Razer Lycosa Mirror Edition | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 x 2.0 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Razer Tarantula | No | Yes | Yes | 2 x 1.1 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Roccat Arvo | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
|
| Roccat Valo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 x 1.1 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Saitek Cyborg | Multi | Yes | Yes | 1 x 1.1 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Steelseries 7G | No | No | No | 2 x 1.1 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Steelseries/Ideazon Merc | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | |
|
| Steelseries/Ideazon Merc Stealth | Multi | Yes | No | 2 x 2.0 | Yes | Yes | |
|
| Steelseries/Ideazon Zboard | No | Yes | No | 2 x 1.1 | No | Yes | |
|
| Wolfking Timberwolf | No | No | No | 2 x 1.1 | No | No | |
|
Think I’ve missed a gaming keyboard? Want to recommend the best gaming keyboard? Then please leave a comment!
Related posts:
- Gaming Mouse Buying Guide
- Choosing The Best Gaming Keyboard
- Logitech Gaming Keyboard Buyer Guide
- Saitek Cyborg Keyboard – Razer And Logitech In For A Kicking
- Get The Best PC Gaming Keyboard
You could include the Alienware TactX gaming keyboard here.
That’s done. I also added the Steelseries Zboard, Merc and Merc Stealth, Microsoft Reclusa and the OCZ Elixir and Illuminati.
Does anyone knows which keyboard is it displayed on that picture? the one with the white backlit keys and blue backlit spaces? Thanks
It’s been bugging me for a while and I still haven’t figured it out. Anyone else?
hey!could you please tell me a gaming keyboard which has a touch panel or touch screen?
Sure thing Tejas – both the Razer Lycosa and Arctosa have touch panels for the multimedia controls, while the Saitek Cyborg has a touch panel that includes multimedia and lighting controls.
you could add Cyber Snipa Warboard in this list.
Thanks Anton. It’s in the list now.
Hey nice list. Btw my zboard has multimedia control like fast forward pause stop play .
You left out what are probably the best overall keyboards.
The Deck and Filco mechanical keyboards with Cherry MX Brown and Black keys.
Both of these keyboards are virtually lifetime keyboards, require no software thus don’t use any resources.
Are there any gaming quality keyboards with a low profile?? I’m talking about a keyboard where the keys sit close to the board itself. The Lycosa, I know, is kind of like that, but it’s what I have now and I’m in the market for a different keyboard. Also I’m trying to go for lower and flatter keys. (the Lycosa’s keys are slightly welled.)
Lower and flatter than a Lycosa? Wow, that limits your choices. Logitech do an ultra-thin keyboard but it’s not really a gaming keyboard, and I couldn’t tell you if it’s any good. The Eclipse LiteTouch has low profile keys, again not strictly a gaming keyboard but it is quality. It’s also got a variable function touch-screen in place of the number pad, so it could be useful for gaming.