Introduction & Specifications

When you're on the path to becoming a power user, you begin to notice certain things that the average person might not. One of those is the difference between typing on a sweet mechanical keyboard with luxurious key action versus pounding away on a run-of-the-mill squishy plank that relies on mushy membranes to register your keystrokes. The difference may seem subtle to the uninitiated, though even casual typists can recognize that there's something inherently superior about typing on a mechanical keyboard, even if they can't pinpoint what exactly it is.

Of course, we know it's the mechanical key switches that are responsible for elevating the typing experience. These are better than the rubber domes found in membrane keyboards that used to dominate the market in a number of ways, including feel, responsiveness, and durability. We say "used to" because mechanical keyboards are growing in popularity -- as more people use them, word is spreading about how good they are. In turn, keyboard manufacturers have responded by feeding more mechanical models into what was once an extremely niche market. It's not so niche anymore, and if you go out in search of a mechanical keyboard, you'll now find a mountain of options.

If you're in the market for a mechanical keyboard, don't worry about climbing that mountain on your own--we're here to help. We've gathered up five different gaming models from as many manufactures, three of which are of the compact ten-keyless variety (fancy pants way of saying there's no dedicated number pad), the other two being full size planks. Granted, this is just a small sample of the numerous options available to you, though these are some of the more popular models by recognized brands in the gaming peripheral market. We also have plans to supplement this roundup with standalone mechanical keyboard reviews in the future, so if you haven't done so already, go ahead and bookmark HotHardware.com. We'll wait. Did you do it? Great, let's move on, starting with a look at the contenders.

Mechanical Gaming Keyboards Specifications & Features

Keyboards Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Roccat Ryos MK Pro Corsair Gaming K65 RGB

Tt eSports Poseidon ZX Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid-i Form Factor Full size Full size Tenkeyless Tenkeyless Tenkeyless Switch Type

Razer Green

Cherry MX Brown

Cherry MX RGB Red Tt eSports Certified Blue (Kaihi) Cherry MX Blue Backlight Individually backlit keys

Per key backlighting Per key backlighting

Yes Per key backlighting Backlight Color

Green Blue Customizable Blue White Dedicated Macro Keys

5 5 + 3 Thumbster keys

None None None Anti-Ghosting

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Disable Windows Key

Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Audio Ports

1x audio; 1x mic 1x in; 1x out None None None USB Ports

1x USB 2.0 2x USB 2.0 None None None Wrist Rest

Yes Yes Removable No No Dimensions (WxHxD)

18.72x6.74x0.79 inches 20x9.2x1.5 inches 14x6.5x1.5 inches 14.3x5.6x1.6 inches 14.1x5.4x1.5 inches Weight

3.31 pounds 2 pounds 1.9 pounds 2.1 pounds 2.05 pounds Warranty 1 year 1 year 2 years 5 years 2 years Price $129.99 $169.99 $149.99 $79.99 $149.99











If you take a good look at the spec table above, you'll notice there aren't any duplicate key switches here, though there are some similar styles -- the Razer Green, Tt eSports Certified Blue, and Cherry MX Blue key switches all offer tactile feedback and a distinctly audible "clicky" sound reminiscent of the IBM Model M from many moons ago. Cherry MX Blue is also the type of switch featured in the Das Keyboard 4 Pro that we reviewed a few months back.Cherry MX Red switches, as found on Corsair Gaming's K65 RGB, are lighter and non-tactile for a smoother typing action from top to bottom, while Cherry MX Brown switches are also light but provide a tactile response. There's little-to-no audible feedback with both of these switches, making them the courteous choice for polite gamers who live with a roommate or don't care to wake up the spouse and kids during those marathon gaming sessions. None are inherently 'better' than the other; it boils down to personal preference and what kind of feedback suits you best.

Beyond the mechanical key switches, all the models here are advertised as gaming keyboards, some more feature rich than others. For example, each of them boasts some kind of backlighting effect, while two of the five also make use of dedicated macro keys.



We'll be evaluating each of these keyboards both on their overall gaming chops as well as their ability to serve as a daily workhorse. After all, few people have the luxury of blowing off work to game all the time, and swapping out keyboards for work and play is an unnecessary chore when it's possible for a plank to excel at both.



Sound like a plan? Groovy -- grab your flotation device and let's walk these planks together!