Gaming keyboard vs Normal keyboard– Gaming Keyboards Buying Guide
Most of us would be wondering why we need gaming keyboards and how it differs from a regular one. After reading this post on the best gaming keyboards of 2020 you will be all caught up on why a gaming keyboard is necessary, How to choose the optimum keyboard for your gaming needs etc.
First and foremost, unlike regular keyboards, they are more expensive and with good reason. If you are a “geeky gamer” then you might have heard gamers talking about the responsiveness of various peripherals such as the mouse, keyboard. Well here’s how it is.
Gaming keyboards have mechanical keys, better response and lighting options. As a gamer you are well aware how important responsive time is. It means how fast the reaction will show up on the screen after you pressed the key.
Lighting or more accurately RGB lighting is another unique feature that separates a gaming keyboard from a regular one. These colorful LED lights behind keys will not improve your gaming skills but damn it will look awesome in a dark room!
Also most gaming keyboards possess programmable keys. Essentially using this feature you can program one key to do the task of a series of keys. Those are very handy for people who play RTS (Real Time Strategy) or RPG (Role Playing Games).
Things to “Check out” before buying a gaming keyboard
Switches of the keyboard
Gaming keyboards are mostly mechanical keys but there are also membrane and rubber domes. As mentioned earlier mechanical keys have the best responsive time and hence the most recommended. The rubber keys and membranes are just a copy of mechanical keys but not as good.
The difference is a rubber cap or a membrane is used on the key and you can feel it when you press the key. It definitely will be too hard and have a slow response time.
Mechanical keyboards can use different types of switches: linear with constant resistance (e.g. Cherry MX Red), tactile with a non-audible bump (e.g. Cherry MX Brown) and clicky (e.g. Cherry MX Blue), with an audible click.
Update 2022: There are mecha-membrane switch gaming keypads as well. These combine the soft touch of membrane keys and the mechanism of mechanical keys.
Backlighting
As we mentioned before lighting does not improve your gaming skills but it will help you be more productive in low lighting rooms. The question is if you are a one color guy or RGB lover. If you are the latter then its gonna cost extra few bucks but it will look tremendous on your gaming rig!!
Wrist rest
This is purely to enhance your comfort zone. But if you are a blogger who types for long hours or a gamer gaming for long hours then this is a must. It provides a better angle for your hands while you are engaged in the task. And reduce risks of any sort of wrist pain.
Multimedia keys and macro keys
A considerable amount of mechanical keyboards offer this feature to make your tasks easier. There are buttons to turn on/off the lighting, control music play and turn on the gaming mode. Some even have wheels to control music volume.
At the very least, you should buy a keyboard with multimedia shortcuts, which involve pressing two keys instead of one (like Fn+F1) to perform the same actions.
The USB cable
Once again there is no difference in performance. But durability is the key factor here. There are two types namely braided and regular. The difference is that the braided is strong therefore less likely to break,tear hence life time is higher. Whereas the plastic is more likely to be met with some sort of damage.
Now that we know what to look for in a gaming keyboard, lets see what are the best recommended gaming keyboards in a gamers point of view for 2020!
1.Corsair K95 RGB Platinum
- Low noise function
- 6 dedicated macro keys or swap to the included S-key keycaps and Elgato Stream Deck software
- Cherry MX Speed RGB Silver mechanical key switches provide 1.2 millimeter actuation and with 100 million keystrokes
This top of the market keyboard is as we believe the cream of the crop for gaming keyboards for 2020. Built for hardcore gamers this has all the features one could think of in a gaming keyboard. With cherry MX speed keys perfect for gaming but a little loud and NKRO with anti-ghosting.
N-key rollover means how many simultaneous keypresses your keyboard correctly registers, and anti-ghosting means that your keyboard does not register keypresses that you do not make. You cannot have N-key rollover without anti-ghosting, because the keyboard would register fake keypresses.
And the keyboard is Fully RGB meaning the Corsair logo is also with lighting. The edge of the keyboard has a row with 19 different color choices that you can personalize. If you have the software available you can sink it with any corsair RGB product you have. Also this keyboard has a dedicated space underneath to place your cord of the headset or your mouse.
This one is mostly built for intense gaming sessions like battlefield V. The macro keys of this keyboard help immensely in these tasks like moving your gadgets from number rows to elsewhere. Many functions through fewer keys is way easier than using many keys across the whole keyboard.
Also many users comment on its programmability to be awesome. Like you can assign keys to specific apps with the different profiles that you create.
Let it be your water cooling system, mouse, headset. Also the wrist pad is Included, detachable, dual-sided, with soft touch finish. It has a wired connectivity of USB 2.0 type A and braided.
Purchase here->Corsair K95 RGB Platinum
2. Razer Huntsman Elite Gaming Keyboard
- Razer hardware, Philips Hue, and gear from 30+ partners; supports 16. 8 million colors on individually backlit keys
- Covered with a matte, aluminum top frame.1000 Hz Ultrapolling
- Made of plush leatherette (with built-in underglow lighting)
- Razer Hypershift allows for all keys and keypress combinations to be remapped to execute complex commands
As always Razer tends to take stuff to the next level regardless of the device. This keyboard is opto-mechanical meaning it is one step ahead of your traditional mechanical keyboard. It uses an optical beam combined with mechanical keys to send in signals and results in faster responsive time. In fact it is 30% faster than the traditional mechanical keyboard.
The RGB lighting goes all over the keyboard and when the wrist pad is connected it makes a full cohesive RGB unit. Another exclusive feature is the volume dial knob at the top of the keyboard and with the software it can be personalized endlessly.
Availability of dedicated gaming keys and 62 lighting zones around the keyboard is yet another standout here.
Users mainly value its really soft and smooth wrist-pad, which is better than its Blackwidow. When it comes to gaming it should be noted that with the combined feedback of switches and wrist-rest, long sessions are actually pleasant here.
When synced in with the software you can personalize the keyboard lighting effects as you wish. For example the fiery effect, spectrum cycles , wave effect, Ripple sense are some of these. The key sounds are a bit loud but super responsive. Built specifically for long gaming sessions. Has 5 onboard profiles that can be synced.
Purchase here->Razer Huntsman Elite Gaming Keyboard
3. HyperX Alloy FPS RGB
- Compact, portable design with detachable cable
- Solid steel frame
- Kailh Silver Speed mechanical keyswitches
- Onboard memory to store keyboard customization
- Convenient USB charge port
This in our opinion is one of the best gaming keyboard under 100$ with the essentials. Featuring an exposed LED on the key switch, customizable lighting effects, and five brightness levels. The durable, pre-installed “Pudding” keycaps enhance the brightness of the Alloy FPS RGB’s lighting. Get a boost of style and save time!
Save up to 3 profiles and have your keyboard ready to go, even on the go. Durable mechanical keyswitches with a low actuation force for top-tier gaming performance. It also has a USB to charge your devices and keep them close to you.
Also has a great feel with the Kailh Silver Speed are super sensitive, gaming takes a bit to get used to, but once you do they’re fantastic. Posses a polling rate of 1000Hz and compatible with windows 10,8,7.
This keyboard might not have a whole RGB lighting throughout every edge of the keyboard. Or a dial to customize and use in your extra content creation purposes.
Hence the value been below 100$. But it is still extremely worthy of your money and outputs a great gaming experience, As a matter of fact customers say that it should be above 100$ for its ability.
Purchase here->HyperX Alloy FPS RGB
As the name is “FPS” it implies that this keyboard is kinda built for shooting games. And it responds great for games like overwatch, halo. Once you personalize your profile with the macro keys and stuff you can use one keystroke to do a lot of things.
4. Razer BlackWidow Elite
- Personalization with Razer Chroma: Razer hardware, Philips Hue, and gear from 30+ partners; supports 16.8 million colors on individually backlit keys
- Fully Programmable Macros: Razer Hypershift
- Ergonomic, Magnetic Wrist Rest: Made of plush leatherette
- Supports up to 80 million clicks
Most budget gamers search for the best gaming keyboard under $100,well this ain’t gonna cut the price margin, but for $30 more you get the best bang for buck.
I’d say that the deathadder and the elite is a pretty good gaming mouse and keyboard combo. The design is mostly similar to the Huntsman elite. The USB cable and the 3.5 mm audio jack is built on the left side. The wrist rest is comfortable and magnetic. This is a good candidate for best gaming keyboards of 2020.
There are three different types of switches. Green Switches – Tactile & Clicky. Orange Switches – Tactile & Silent. Yellow Switches – Linear & Silent.
The design of the switches is quite new from the older versions. Most users comment that the new design is comfortable and more responsive. Because of the casing and size the new keys look durable.
You can map different lighting profiles for different games. Razer has also taken the trouble to pre-program a number of games with different lighting profiles. Razer Synapse 3 software can be used to program keys, create macros etc.
When it comes to performance the keyboard is extremely responsive and tactile. You can play any game genre with this one without a second thought. You can have wonderful game play with overwatch,world of warcraft, far cry etc. It is also a good keyboard for typing.
Overall the Blackwidow is a fully functional, responsive, well designed keyboard.
Conclusion
Always remember to examine the key factors before purchase. As final thoughts on the best gaming keyboards of 2020 our personal opinion is as follows. If you own a high end PC build then the corsair K95 would suit you best . If you are on a budget and still looking for some quality gaming experience the Hyper alloy is more than enough.
These Best Gaming Keyboards Of 2020 are based on numerous research of tech experts who are well experienced in these products. Personally we believe that the Razer Huntsman elite keyboard is a step ahead of the rest given its opto-mechanical technology. Also checkout our posts for best gaming mice and gaming chairs of 2020.
