Gaming Keyboard Buying Guide

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?
• 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
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 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	No
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:

1. OCZ Elixir Keyboard Breaks Cover
2. Gaming Mouse Buying Guide
3. Choosing The Best Gaming Keyboard
4. Logitech Gaming Keyboard Buyer Guide
5. Saitek Cyborg Keyboard – Razer And Logitech In For A Kicking

Tagged with: best gaming keyboard • Gaming Keyboard • top gaming keyboard



4 Responses to “Gaming Keyboard Buying Guide”

1. Shannon says:

   January 23, 2010 at 3:45 am

   You could include the Alienware TactX gaming keyboard here.
2. Chris says:

   January 23, 2010 at 4:04 pm

   That’s done. I also added the Steelseries Zboard, Merc and Merc Stealth, Microsoft Reclusa and the OCZ Elixir and Illuminati.
3. Ivo says:

   March 3, 2010 at 11:41 pm

   Does anyone knows which keyboard is it displayed on that picture? the one with the white backlit keys and blue backlit spaces? Thanks
4. Chris says:

   March 4, 2010 at 11:06 pm

   It’s been bugging me for a while and I still haven’t figured it out. Anyone else?