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Advice on choosing a new mechanical keyboard.

post #1 of 27
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I use my computer a lot, for studying and lab reports and gaming when i can so i was looking at buying a keyboard with a palm rest for whilst typing and gaming and such as my left wrist can get very sore after a lot of computer work.

I mainly play FPS and some skyrim so i was looking at a mechanical keyboard due to the amazing responsiveness. I am hoping to keep it under £100 but the budget isn't strict to be honest.

Thanks in advance for any advice smile.gif.
post #2 of 27
Have you looked into the corsair mechanical keyboards? I believe they have wrist rests included with them.


here is the one im talking about.
http://www.corsair.com/en/vengeance-gaming/vengeance-gaming-keyboards/vengeance-k90-performance-mmo-mechanical-gaming-keyboard.html
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post #3 of 27
What kind of switches do you want?
 
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post #4 of 27

Take a look at this, I have this Cooler Master CM Storm Trigger - $100 (cherry mx brown). its a great keyboard. I also play FPS games and I'm always typing on it, and it has been great so far

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post #5 of 27
Don't get blues if you want to game. I find myself accidentally holding down keys sometime. Honestly, for gaming, you don't really need mechanical.

For typing blues are the best. I have a friend who has browns, and he say's they're borderline too light and barely tactile, but that's purely preferential.

Blacks and reds are more suited for gaming because you'll find yourself holding down some keys halfway in tense situations. Typing on them isn't bad either.
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post #6 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by ____ View Post

Don't get blues if you want to game. I find myself accidentally holding down keys sometime. Honestly, for gaming, you don't really need mechanical.
For typing blues are the best. I have a friend who has browns, and he say's they're borderline too light and barely tactile, but that's purely preferential.
Blacks and reds are more suited for gaming because you'll find yourself holding down some keys halfway in tense situations. Typing on them isn't bad either.
Blues are by far the best for typing, IMO, but they are not great for gaming.
 
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post #7 of 27

Personally, i'd suggest getting a separate wrist/palm rest since that would give you more options when it comes to choosing the keyboard. That can get expensive depending on the material and quality you want ($70 for a leather one from EK for example eek.gif but if your material of choice is memory foam you can find those for under $20).

 

If you absolutely must get an included wrist rest then i'd suggest one of these depending on your switch of choice:

 

Blue (Give Feedback when pressed and make typewriter-like click sound)

Brown (Give Feedback when pressed)

Black (No Feedback, requires high force to press)

Red (No Feedback, requires low force to press)

 

For FPS gaming i'd argue Linear (Red/Black) vs Non-Linear (Blue/Brown) doesn't matter so much since you do some double tapping but not an insane amount like a RTS gamer would (arguably you can double tap a linear switch much faster because of the placement of the actuation and reset point so if you're doing hundreds of key-presses a minute the switch you're using can really make a difference).

 

Blue: Not a lot of options. If you want this switch i'd highly recommend the separate palm rest like above.

Brown: Logitech G710 - backlit, main con is it's arguably expensive ($170 - nearly double the price of many mechs, but still nothing compared to some of the top end ones).

Black: Steelseries 7G - no backlight, or a Mionix Zibal 60. Note both have fading key issues.

Red: Corsair K90 - backlit, has comfortable wrist rest. Main cons are it's not fully mechanical. Or the Gigabyte Aivia Osmium if you're willing to shell out a little more.

 

CM Storm trigger can be had in all switch types, just another one to consider. Personally I think the two best choices from the ones I mentioned are the Logitech and Gigabyte ones, so if your switch of choice is Brown or Red i'd go with one of those unless someone mentions a better choice.


Edited by Sainesk - 11/9/12 at 8:49am
 
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post #8 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sainesk View Post

$70 for a leather one from EK for example eek.gif

And so worth it. tongue.gif You simply won't find a keyboard with an included wrist rest that can compete with the best independently-sold rests.

Anyway, it is difficult to make an accurate recommendation with the information provided, since so much of mechanical switches is personal preference. Although there are some commonly-made generalizations ("clicky for typing, linear for gaming, tactile for a mix"), it's not at all uncommon for personal preferences to go against these generalities. For instance, I like the experience of typing on MX Black (linear) switches, while others enjoy gaming on MX Blues (clicky).

Do you ever use the numberpad? If not, consider a tenkeyless ("tkl") keyboard...there are ergonomic advantages to not having the numberpad if it isn't needed. Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid is available in all the most common switch types at reasonable prices, and has a decent reputation for quality.
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post #9 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by FoxWolf1 View Post

Do you ever use the numberpad? If not, consider a tenkeyless ("tkl") keyboard...there are ergonomic advantages to not having the numberpad if it isn't needed. Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid is available in all the most common switch types at reasonable prices, and has a decent reputation for quality.

Decent??? More than decent:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1102940/cm-storm-quick-fire-rapid/860#post_18564741

But yes, I too would recommend a QFR. They're great keyboards...
Edited by Computer-Lab in Basement - 11/9/12 at 9:07am
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post #10 of 27
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Art Vanelay View Post

What kind of switches do you want?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ajresendez View Post

Have you looked into the corsair mechanical keyboards? I believe they have wrist rests included with them.
here is the one im talking about.
http://www.corsair.com/en/vengeance-gaming/vengeance-gaming-keyboards/vengeance-k90-performance-mmo-mechanical-gaming-keyboard.html

I was thinking Red switches, so i did have a look at the corsair k90 but i dunno how soft that wrist support looks, does anyone have any experience with it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sainesk View Post

Personally, i'd suggest getting a separate wrist/palm rest since that would give you more options when it comes to choosing the keyboard. That can get expensive depending on the material and quality you want ($70 for a leather one from EK for example eek.gif but if your material of choice is memory foam you can find those for under $20).

If you absolutely must get an included wrist rest then i'd suggest one of these depending on your switch of choice:

Blue (Give Feedback when pressed and make typewriter-like click sound)
Brown (Give Feedback when pressed)
Black (No Feedback, requires high force to press)
Red (No Feedback, requires low force to press)

For FPS gaming i'd argue Linear (Red/Black) vs Non-Linear (Blue/Brown) doesn't matter so much since you do some double tapping but not an insane amount like a RTS gamer would (arguably you can double tap a linear switch much faster because of the placement of the actuation and reset point so if you're doing hundreds of key-presses a minute the switch you're using can really make a difference).

Blue: Not a lot of options. If you want this switch i'd highly recommend the separate palm rest like above.
Brown: Logitech G710 - backlit, main con is it's arguably expensive ($170 - nearly double the price of many mechs, but still nothing compared to some of the top end ones).
Black: Steelseries 7G - no backlight, or a Mionix Zibal 60. Note both have fading key issues.
Red: Corsair K90 - backlit, has comfortable wrist rest. Main cons are it's not fully mechanical. Or the Gigabyte Aivia Osmium if you're willing to shell out a little more.

CM Storm trigger can be had in all switch types, just another one to consider. Personally I think the two best choices from the ones I mentioned are the Logitech and Gigabyte ones, so if your switch of choice is Brown or Red i'd go with one of those unless someone mentions a better choice.

As for after-market wrist supports I had a quick search on Amazon and just found gel ones which I know I wont like the feel of. So is there any companies that make nice ones that you can recommend?
Quote:
Originally Posted by FoxWolf1 View Post

And so worth it. tongue.gif You simply won't find a keyboard with an included wrist rest that can compete with the best independently-sold rests.
Anyway, it is difficult to make an accurate recommendation with the information provided, since so much of mechanical switches is personal preference. Although there are some commonly-made generalizations ("clicky for typing, linear for gaming, tactile for a mix"), it's not at all uncommon for personal preferences to go against these generalities. For instance, I like the experience of typing on MX Black (linear) switches, while others enjoy gaming on MX Blues (clicky).
Do you ever use the numberpad? If not, consider a tenkeyless ("tkl") keyboard...there are ergonomic advantages to not having the numberpad if it isn't needed. Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid is available in all the most common switch types at reasonable prices, and has a decent reputation for quality.
No i've never used my numpad and can't think of a reason i'll need to use it. Would you say it was better than the corsair K90?
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