Gaming Keyboard Buying Guide

Razer Blackwidow Ultimate

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.

Razer Blackwidow Ultimate

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?
Win 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?
Media Controls – does the keyboard give you any form of control over your media player? Some keyboards have dedicated multemedia controls, others have controls on the standard keys that can be activated by holding down a separate function key.
Key Type – does the keyboard use mechanical switch or rubber domes for the keys? Mechanical switches offer superior typing feel and response but are more expensive, so the keyboard may cost a lot more or have fewer features.
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 Keys	Macro Keys	Win Lock	USB Sockets	Audio I/O	Media Controls	Key Type
Alienware Tactx	Multi	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Dome
Cyber Snipa Warboard	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Dome
Deck Legend Ice	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Switch
Logitech G11	Yes	Yes	Yes	2 x 1.1	No	Yes	Dome
Logitech G110	Multi	Yes	Yes	1 x 2.0	Yes	Yes	Dome
Logitech G15	Yes	Yes	Yes	2 x 1.1	No	Yes	Dome
Logitech G19	Multi	Yes	Yes	2 x 2.0	No	Yes	Dome
Logitech G510	Multi	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Dome
Microsoft Reclusa	Yes	Yes	No	2 x 1.1	No	Yes	Dome
Microsoft Sidewinder X4	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Dome
Microsoft Sidewinder X6	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Dome
OCZ Elixir	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Dome
OCZ Elixir II	No	No	No	No	No	No	Dome
OCZ Illuminati	Multi	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Dome
OCZ Sabre	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Dome
Razer Arctosa	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Dome
Razer Anansi	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Dome
Razer BlackWidow	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Switch
Razer BlackWidow Ultimate	Yes	Yes	Yes	1 x 2.0	Yes	Yes	Switch
Razer Lycosa	Yes	Yes	Yes	1 x 2.0	Yes	Yes	Dome
Razer Lycosa Mirror Edition	Yes	Yes	Yes	1 x 2.0	Yes	Yes	Dome
Razer Tarantula	No	Yes	Yes	2 x 1.1	Yes	Yes	Dome
Roccat Arvo	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Dome
Roccat Valo	Yes	Yes	Yes	1 x 1.1	Yes	Yes	Dome
Saitek Cyborg	Multi	Yes	Yes	1 x 1.1	Yes	Yes	Dome
Steelseries 6GV2	No	No	[1]	No	No	Yes	Switch
Steelseries 7G	No	No	[1]	2 x 1.1	Yes	Yes	Switch
Steelseries/Ideazon Merc	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Dome
Steelseries/Ideazon Merc Stealth	Multi	Yes	No	2 x 2.0	Yes	Yes	Dome
Steelseries/Ideazon Zboard	No	Yes	No	2 x 1.1	No	Yes	Dome
Wolfking Timberwolf	No	No	No	2 x 1.1	No	No	Dome
XArmor U9BL	Yes	No	No	2 x 2.0	Yes	Yes	Switch

Think I’ve missed a gaming keyboard? Want to recommend the best gaming keyboard? Then please leave a comment!

[1] Steelseries don’t like the Windows key so they put their own special Steelseries key in its place, so there’s no need for a Windows lock.

Chris

Chris is a devout PC gamer who spends way, way too much time sat at his PC either gaming or writing. You can find Chris on Google+

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View Comments

Shannon says:
January 23, 2010 at 3:45 am
You could include the Alienware TactX gaming keyboard here.
- 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.
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
- 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?
Tejas says:
May 4, 2010 at 5:22 pm
hey!could you please tell me a gaming keyboard which has a touch panel or touch screen?
- Chris says:
  May 9, 2010 at 10:47 pm
  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.
Anton says:
July 13, 2010 at 3:56 am
you could add Cyber Snipa Warboard in this list.
- Chris says:
  July 13, 2010 at 9:01 am
  Thanks Anton. It's in the list now.
Oli says:
August 6, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Hey nice list. Btw my zboard has multimedia control like fast forward pause stop play .
Nunyabiz says:
August 11, 2010 at 4:31 pm
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.
Poopiepants says:
August 13, 2010 at 6:33 pm
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.)
- Chris says:
  August 16, 2010 at 9:24 am
  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.
GamerDood says:
August 30, 2010 at 11:03 pm
You should have the keyboard mechanism type. Rubber dome, scissor, or mechanical. And if mechanical, then maybe even what kind. Because personally, I'm only interested in mechanicals so having to go through this list just to sort those out is work I wish the list already provided. :/
Anton says:
September 7, 2010 at 6:03 am
I found someone sell Razer Aurantia. but when I look at razerzone website, it is for China only. when I visit cn.razerzone.com, I found another razer keyboard product, Razer Cyclosa. Are Razer Cyclosa and Aurantia sell in China only?
Dan says:
September 20, 2010 at 5:25 am
Does any one know of a keyboard that has a multi colored backlight that can be programed to display different keys different colors such as hot keys
- Chris says:
  September 24, 2010 at 1:32 pm
  I can't think of a keyboard that allows lighting to be controlled to that degree. some keyboards allow different sections to be different colours (Saitek Cyborg, Logitech G19). There's always the Razer Tarantula which comes with a set of swappable keys that are of a different colour, but they're not backlit.