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Bang for the buck mechanical?

post #1 of 32
Thread Starter 
Hello overclockers,

I'm looking for a new keyboard to go with my new PC and hoping to stay under 80€ if I can. France.

I'm open to suggestions as far as the appropriate type of switches to go for, but keep in mind that when typing, I sometimes tend to "brush over" the keys rather than press them, and I never found myself needing tactile response, which is why I have a preference for Cherry MX reds.

Note that I own a Razer Naga mouse, so as far as gaming goes, I use that for most numeric-key-related actions (e.g. spells, weapons) and the keyboard mainly for movement and modifiers.

Uses:
- FPS games (mostly TF2), MMO/RPGs, some RTS.
- rhythm games (DJMax, O2Jam)(lots of fast double-tapping)
- touch typing (~100 wpm)
- heavy keyboard shortcut use

Requirements:
- mechanical
- rollover: at least 6 alphanumeric keys + spacebar
- QWERTY (preferably US)

Misc. preferences:
- compact (at least length-wise)
- comfortable hand resting
- no numpad
- volume controls (that work with Windows out of the box)
- no key labels
- anything that could make the gaming keys more comfortable

I've been keeping an eye on Corsair Vengeance K60. It uses red switches and looks comfortable, but it's somewhat expensive and isn't exactly what I had in mind in terms of size. Any good?
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post #2 of 32
Price wise - Razer Blackwidow (Not ultimate) can be found for around $50
Something that matches your misc preferences a little - (Scratch what I said here)

I noticed a lot of cherry black small form factor keyboards are relatively cheap.

The Coolermaster Cmstorm should be something you would like with no number pad, full sized keys and cherry MX blacks which aren't red but just a little stiffer and still a linear feel. (Can be bought with reds) It can also be found for around $60 with a few multimedia functions :3
Edited by Qasual - 6/25/12 at 9:53am
post #3 of 32
hands down it would be the Coolermaster Quickfire Rapid. It is a filco keyboard with coolermaster branding and pricing. They only come in tenkeyless but as far as value goes, you cant beat it. The Blue switch is the cheapest because it is sold by other vendors. If you want a red, black, or brown switch then you have to get them from the CMStore.

Red
http://www.cmstore-usa.com/quickfire-rapid-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-red-switch/

Blue, Brown, or Black
http://www.cmstore-usa.com/quickfire-rapid-mechanical-gaming-keyboard/
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Bone Dry
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Intel i7 3770 ASUS P8Z68-M Pro XFX HD 7850 2GB G.SKILL Sniper 8GB @ 1866Mhz CL8 
Hard DriveHard DriveHard DriveOptical Drive
Corsair Neutron GTX 120GB Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 2x Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB Samsung Blu Ray 
OSMonitorKeyboardPower
Windows 7 Professional x64 Panasonic TC-50UT50 Logitech Wireless Seasonic S12II 520w 
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Custom HTPC Case Logitech Wireless Denon AVR-1912 Rosewill RRC-126 Media Center Remote 
Other
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post #4 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by UsedPaperclip View Post

hands down it would be the Coolermaster Quickfire Rapid. It is a filco keyboard with coolermaster branding and pricing. They only come in tenkeyless but as far as value goes, you cant beat it. The Blue switch is the cheapest because it is sold by other vendors. If you want a red, black, or brown switch then you have to get them from the CMStore.
Red
http://www.cmstore-usa.com/quickfire-rapid-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-red-switch/
Blue, Brown, or Black
http://www.cmstore-usa.com/quickfire-rapid-mechanical-gaming-keyboard/
**High fives for the same choice** thumb.gif
post #5 of 32
Thread Starter 
Blackwidow: Good price, so if it uses cherry reds, it's a serious candidate.

Meka: I don't mind the small backspace key, but if I'm going for a board of that size, I'd rather have the numpad removed. Plus, it seems more expensive than the K60 and I'm not sure I want cherry blacks.

QuickFire: Yes, I noticed it's a popular keyboard around these forums, and I'm really liking it. Problem is, they only seem to ship to North America. I think I'll have a hard time finding a cherry red/US layout combination at a decent price.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.
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post #6 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by Artifact View Post

QuickFire: Yes, I noticed it's a popular keyboard around these forums, and I'm really liking it. Problem is, they only seem to ship to North America. I think I'll have a hard time finding a cherry red/US layout combination at a decent price.

Call or email the guys at mechanicalkeyboards.com and see how much they'll do it for. They've got the board...that's where I got the two I use.
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post #7 of 32
Thread Starter 
I tried checking out directly at the website and got a shipping quote of $43, then I emailed them like you suggested, and they replied by telling me to proceed to a normal checkout at the website. That shipping fee is out of the question.
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post #8 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by Artifact View Post

I tried checking out directly at the website and got a shipping quote of $43, then I emailed them like you suggested, and they replied by telling me to proceed to a normal checkout at the website. That shipping fee is out of the question.

Fair enough...doesn't hurt to check. It's the only spot I know of that carries the Rapid with Reds...besides the Coolermaster Store directly. Have you tried there?
The Dynasty
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CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Intel Core i7 3770K MSI Z77A-G45 Diamond AMD Radeon 7970 16gb Corsair XMS 3 
Hard DriveMonitorKeyboardPower
Crucial M4 256gb Dell Ultrasharp 2405FPW CM Storm Quickfire Rapid w/ Cherry Reds Antec EarthWatts 650 
CaseMouseMouse PadAudio
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B Logitech G9X SteelSeries 4HD Bose Companion 3 
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The Dynasty
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CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Intel Core i7 3770K MSI Z77A-G45 Diamond AMD Radeon 7970 16gb Corsair XMS 3 
Hard DriveMonitorKeyboardPower
Crucial M4 256gb Dell Ultrasharp 2405FPW CM Storm Quickfire Rapid w/ Cherry Reds Antec EarthWatts 650 
CaseMouseMouse PadAudio
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B Logitech G9X SteelSeries 4HD Bose Companion 3 
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post #9 of 32
Thread Starter 
They've made it pretty clear on their website that they only ship within North America, but I guess I could try emailing them too.

Edit: I just found out there's a CM store for Europe. The keyboard is available there, apparently only with black switches, but the total cost is basically the same as if I'd ordered it from mechanicalkeyboards.com. Figures. At least it would take less time to get here I guess.
Edited by Artifact - 6/26/12 at 5:42pm
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post #10 of 32
Thread Starter 
No response from CM. Looks like a dead end.

Anyway, I'm looking at 3 additional keyboards:
- KBTalking KBT Race
- Noppoo Choc Mini Cherry Mx-Red
- Filco Majestouch-2, Tenkeyless, NKR

How do they compare to the QuickFire Rapid?
Edited by Artifact - 6/26/12 at 4:29pm
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