Mechanical keyboard articles

The Das Keyboard 4Q, as the name implies, combines the proven hardware design of the Das Keyboard 4 we know and love, while adding the smarts of the 5Q as well as per-key RGB backlighting. Are the new IoT features useful enough to make the 4Q a better buy than the 5Q or even the standard Das 4? Let's find out.

If you're a PC gamer, you're likely familiar with the likes of Razer, Corsair, and Logitech who offer gaming keyboards and other related solutions. But if you're a true computer enthusiast, let alone a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, then you enter into a different territory of high quality niche players. Das Keyboard is arguably the most renowned brand within this group.

The Wooting one is, to my knowledge, the world's first true tenkeyless, analog mechanical keyboard. It features pressure-sensitive keys that are specifically designed to give PC gamers the same benefits console gamers have access to. You can move at any speed you'd like, which is particularly useful for racing games, first-person shooters and stealth titles.

Earlier we covered in detail the required components for building your own keyboard and hopefully made the whole project feel a bit less daunting. Today we will go over the assembly process, so you can turn your pile of parts into a functioning board.

In the world of mechanical keyboards, big brand names like Corsair, Razer, HyperX, etc., take the bulk of the limelight. But what if I told you that every part of a keyboard can be customized? This goes far beyond the aesthetics, so if you're not one for making compromises, it may be time to build your own.

Mechanical keyboards have long been all the rage for gamers, but they're still a long way off becoming ubiquitous due to their premium price point. The Logitech G413 is a full-sized mechanical gaming-oriented keyboard, but at $90 it undercuts most of its competition while packing in largely the same feature set.

We recently received mechanical gaming keyboards from Creative and Razer, the Sound BlasterX Vanguard K08 and BlackWidow Chroma V2. To flesh this out into a true three-way battle, we're comparing them against Corsair's K70 RGB Rapidfire, which we rated as the best for gaming in our Best Keyboards article last year. Let's see if this still holds true.

Corsair has upgraded its flagship Vengeance K95 mechanical keyboard with a new 'Platinum' version that purportedly takes performance to another level. Among its highlights are improved lighting and media controls over the K95 RGB, a detachable/reversible/magnetic wrist rest, strong aluminum frame, USB pass-through, and 1.2mm switch actuation.

What if you want a mechanical keyboard but only have $40 to spend? With the market now flooded with loads of Cherry MX knock-off switches, this has enabled companies to develop very affordable mechanical keyboards. One such case is the GranVela MechanicalEagle Z-77, available on Amazon for as little as $35.

The new Das Keyboard Prime 13 is a return to Das' roots, delivering only the essentials combined with a great typing experience. There are no dedicated media keys this time around or macro keys that can be programmed however you like, although one much-requested, long overdue feature did make the cut: LED backlighting.

Kingston jumped on the gaming peripheral bandwagon in 2014, launching the well regarded HyperX Cloud headset with others following since. The company is now ready to take their next step into gaming peripherals with the HyperX Alloy FPS mechanical keyboard.