Help me decide and choose gaming keyboard

[Castout]

Not sure if they are worth it.

My primary interests are

1. Lighted keys for low light condition so I can comfortably type in dark.
2. Durability is quality to me, even better extreme durability(keys and lights and long lasting key print). If the lights are the weakest link I do not mind foregoing lit keys for extended durability.
3. Best value for money overall. No point in spending huge amount of money for marginal increase in quality.

I don't really need macro keys and any others. Maybe Anti ghosting would be nice but I have no complaint with my standard keyboard.

So please advise me if these keyboards are worth it.

And if one one stands out for my requirement pls do tell me

So far I'm considering these(a few do not have lit keys):

http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00606699/microsoft_sidewinder_x4.aspx

http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00608206/microsoft_sidewinder_x6.aspx

http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00005414/logitech_g110_gaming_keyboard.aspx

http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00011064/logitech_gaming_keyboard_g510.aspx

http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00105587/razer_anansi.aspx

http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00106551/razer_arctosa_black.aspx

http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00009158/razer_lycosa_mirror.aspx

These two probably best for durability?(all mechanical keyboard)
http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00306389/razer_blackwidow_%28t2%29.aspx

With back lit keys
http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00306387/razer_blackwidow_ultimate_%28t1%29.aspx

For back lit keyboard I'm leaning towards this http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00606699/microsoft_sidewinder_x4.aspx
If that keyboard has a very good durability I'll be very happy. The X6 is too big for me. But for both durability and lit keys it's probably this http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00306387/razer_blackwidow_ultimate_%28t1%29.aspx . Is it wise to spend that much for this. The surface is glossy though so fingerprints will be there. I can't believe why they made it glossy. Keyboard is more about comfort and function than looks

A dollar is about 8,500 rupiah just in case you guys wondering. To make it simple just pretend a dollar is 10,000 rupiah so a 100 bucks became 1 million rupiah.

If any of you think these kind of keyboards offer dubious value at best feel free to tell me. I'd appreciate your honest thoughts.



(http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00009158/razer_lycosa_mirror.aspx)

[kiwi_2005]

http://www.bhinneka.com/products/sku00105587/razer_anansi.aspx

The Razor Anansi would be my choice for its mmo config, though I don't really care much about kb as long as they work. Still using an old chinese made chicony kb.

[Castout]

Thanks Frank.

Still not sure whether they are worth it.

I have a bad bad tendency to get the best out of durability and value for money belief. And that Anansi is just a tad cheaper than the Blackwidow ultimate, might as well get Blackwidow ultimate. The logic being I'm going to use it for years to come not merely few months.

And that seems to be the Blackwidow Ultimate though I hate its glossy surface.

Now the question is am I insane enough to buy a keyboard that's almost as costly as a whole new monitor. :DL

Frankly all I need is a backlit, all mechanical, ergonomics keyboard with anti ghosting on the awsd keys but the last is not crucial as I have no problem with standard keyboard. Macros and mutimedia keys are not needed for me. Neither USB port, sound chip or headphone jack.

[Sailor Steve]

I've had a Saitek Eclipse II for a couple of years now, and never had a problem with it. I paid $70 for it at Best Buy. These days Amazon has them for $50.
http://www.amazon.com/Saitek-Eclipse-Backlit-Keyboard-PK02AU/dp/B000H6AY6M/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311570023&sr=1-3

It has three different colors, blue, purple, and red for subsimming. Also has a rheostat so you can dim the lights for different conditions, and the same switch that cycles through the lights also turns them off completely.

[Castout]

Looks great. Saitek is no where listed on that local site.

I pay with cash on delivery :DL

[Sailor Steve]

Sorry, I didn't realize the choices you listed were the only choices. Not much I can do to help then. :oops:

[Castout]

Sorry, I didn't realize the choices you listed were the only choices. Not much I can do to help then. :oops:

It's alright. I appreciate your recommendation.

Umm I bought an affordable Logitech gaming mouse couple months ago. Never regret it one bit. It's only a 1800dpi mouse compared to more expensive 5000 dpi mouse but I still think the quality you get justifies the price and more because you actually use it day in day out.

Hoping a quality keyboard would get me that quality feel as well. Was considering to get a quality keyboard sometime ago but decided against it. Now I'm tempted again :DL

[kiwi_2005]

It's alright. I appreciate your recommendation.

Umm I bought an affordable Logitech gaming mouse couple months ago. Never regret it one bit. It's only a 1800dpi mouse compared to more expensive 5000 dpi mouse but I still think the quality you get justifies the price and more because you actually use it day in day out.

Hoping a quality keyboard would get me that quality feel as well. Was considering to get a quality keyboard sometime ago but decided against it. Now I'm tempted again :DL

Now a mouse is important, no point online playing a fps or mmo and your mouse acts like its on crack. Logitech gaming mouse are worthwhile. Have myself a lazor mouse with 5 side buttons for configuring 4yrs old now and im thinking of replacing it, 2 of the config buttons no longer respond like they should.

[Arclight]

Got a G110 here, must say it's a very nice board. Payed far too much considering I don't use half of it's features though.

[Castout]

Now a mouse is important, no point online playing a fps or mmo and your mouse acts like its on crack. Logitech gaming mouse are worthwhile. Have myself a lazor mouse with 5 side buttons for configuring 4yrs old now and im thinking of replacing it, 2 of the config buttons no longer respond like they should.

Umm I actualy need my mouse to go to lowest dpi as possible. The expensive mouses I read can go to as high as 5000 dpi. I barely ever use 1800dpi(normal mouse has 900dpi). However I do use 400dpi A LOT to aim far. I wish mine could go to 200 still but it doesn't. I think MX518 lowest dpi setting is just 400.

Got a G110 here, must say it's a very nice board. Payed far too much considering I don't use half of it's features though.

It's indeed nice. Aaw I'm still tempted to buy myself a premium keyboard. If not for my obsession with durability . . . Right now the all mechanical keyboard seems like a great value. All mechanical keyboard has more than twice the lifespan of the others keyboards. Even 5 times over one type of keyboard. If I buy the Lit keys blackwidow and the light went off before the keys do I'd be quite upset.


If not maybe Starcraft 2 but somehow I believe my age is well past Starcraft 2. I'm glad I found and bought Company of Heroes Anthology to fill my rts appetite.

[Castout]

I just realized I'm a bit silly. I think little when ordering boardgame which costs more than the blackwidow ultimate while knowing that I have almost no chance playing it(since it's a tactical wargame and no one likes it).

Overall a good keyboard could be justified for me as I spend considerable time using it. I could use the lit keys very much. The average LED life time is about 100,000 hours and I calculated that into a little more than 11 years if you keep it on all the time. Practical use could see more than that.

And I got the feeling the price isn't going to stay that low much longer. Few years from now the same quality would probably cost a lot more.

[FIREWALL]

I bought a Saitek Eclipse II just before CompUSA moved out of So. Ca.

Haven't had a problem in all these years. Bought a Logitech G19 just because I like all it's toys. Never use most of them. :haha:

I like that G110 :yep: Good layout and features and, definitely a GOOD price.:up:

If the backlite is bright I'de have bought it instead of the G19.

[NeonSamurai]

Umm I actualy need my mouse to go to lowest dpi as possible. The expensive mouses I read can go to as high as 5000 dpi. I barely ever use 1800dpi(normal mouse has 900dpi). However I do use 400dpi A LOT to aim far. I wish mine could go to 200 still but it doesn't. I think MX518 lowest dpi setting is just 400.

Ever try just scaling back the mouse sensitivity in the game? It's what I do, that way I can toggle back the dpi for precision targeting and still have the speed.

[Arclight]

^ that. Set it up so the highest DPI gives you the highest speed you're comfortable with. For me that generally means putting the sensitivity in-game all the way back.

[Reece]

I have a Logitech G15, has been very good but getting old, some of the ones you have listed look nice but I can't comment on them regards quality, if it were me I would search for some reviews on the final contenders.:yep:

[longam]

Been a Logitech fan myself, would love to have the K800

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboard/devices/7288

[Castout]

That's sleek looking.

I personally would avoid wireless though for 2 reasons: I hate having to buy batteries and they are not ideal for gaming.

Nonetheless that's one cool looking keyboard.

I'm a bit obsessed with mechanical keyboard I'll wait a little longer before buying anything though. The price is twice of other premium keyboards.

[Castout]

Just to give closure to this thread,

I finally received delivery of my Razer Blackwidow.

Since I thought I needed lit characters so I decided to get the ultimate version.

My review is the keyboard itself is well built. It is a joy to type on it. However I tend to mistype from time to time since every keys seem to be shifted to the right. It may take a while. It is soft to type though with a clicky clacky noise and especially loud is the spacebar key. And almost forgot to mention that the response time is phenomenal!!! Now if only I can type with all 10 fingers let see I have to learn to type better with this keyboard.

Now the issue is while it is nice to have a lit key somehow I found blue as a rather distracting and dizzying color. Red might be a better color here to lit the keys. I avoided red lit keys since I thought red was the angry color.
Second the font on some of the keys are ridiculously small making it hard to read at a glance. Last the keyboard comes with 4 plugs: 2 USBs aand single audio and mic jack each. Now that's too many. So now I have more cables dangling unused as there's only a single audio jack at the back and plugging my speaker to the front audio jack would give me a background noise which is not cool while if I plugged the keyboard audio jack into the front jack the speaker would go mute thinking it had a headphone plugged in. :doh:

My recommendation is the standard Blackwidow is a good value for the money but it seems the ultimate cannot yet be justified. One for its rather dizzying bluish lit keys and 2 because when unlit everything is harder to see and 3 because LEDs do die out eventually. Here I'm hoping the keys die faster than the LEDs as I need to have them lit all the time while using this keyboard.

Go get Razer Blackwidow standard and only get the ultimate if you just want to burn 50 more bucks. Do not get the Blackwidow however if you share the room with someone else like a room mate or spouse. They'll go insane hearing the clicky clacky.

Ouch I just felt I have wasted 50 for nothing. The lit keys are not working as I thought they would. Maybe red would be a better color. At least my desktop now feels like a pub. Blue lighting is always the color for classy pubs while red is probably well suited for strip clubs. Cough cough.

[Arclight]

Or avoid it alltogether and get a G110. :O:

Apart from perhaps being a little loud as well it doesn't have any of the mentioned flaws. Lighting color can be toggled between red and blue and brightness is adjustable. (quite happy with blue)

[Castout]

Or avoid it alltogether and get a G110. :O:

Apart from perhaps being a little loud as well it doesn't have any of the mentioned flaws. Lighting color can be toggled between red and blue and brightness is adjustable. (quite happy with blue)

I'm going to put on a smug face and then say "Logitech . . . euw" :O:

Boy I wish I had red now.

Saw a red lit Razer Dragon Age Black widow yesterday, grinning while spotting it thinking I was lucky to be getting the better blue lit one.
But I guess if I had the red lit black widow I would probably now wishing for the blue one. Umm quite neurotic.

[Arclight]

Yeah, i wasn't too keen on Logitech either, it's actually the only thing from them I own now. But that G110, excellent board, even if it is a Logitech. ;) (just avoid their joysticks and controllers, dunno about mice)


How long have you been using it? No return policy? :06:

[Herr-Berbunch]

Yeah, i wasn't too keen on Logitech either, it's actually the only thing from them I own now. But that G110, excellent board, even if it is a Logitech. ;) (just avoid their joysticks and controllers, dunno about mice)


I use a Logitech mouse at work and it's fine, but not at home - I've heard more bad than good about them. Most of the reviews are not impressive. :nope:

[Castout]

Yeah, i wasn't too keen on Logitech either, it's actually the only thing from them I own now. But that G110, excellent board, even if it is a Logitech. ;) (just avoid their joysticks and controllers, dunno about mice)


How long have you been using it? No return policy? :06:

No no return policy. It's not too bad though. It becomes much better after dusk. I believe blue has a tendency to disperse and give you glare(even on first setting) while red may look more focused while being not too glaring.

I have a logitech gaming mouse. It's not bad and I have no problem with it so far but yeah their joystick is . . . . .
[put some obscene words]. I was looking specifically for mechanical keyboard with back lit keys and that happens to come down to Razer.

[Castout]

I found this

http://texyt.com/bright+blue+leds+annoyance+health+risks

:damn:

Arclight you better switch to red . . .

[Arclight]

O rly? Interesting. :hmmm:

Sure, I'll give it a go. Board is much clearer with red anyway, used the blue since it was less obvious (the blue on this one is far from intense/bright).


Oh right, I have a Logitech optical mouse for the server. Nothing special, cheap little thing, but works a treat, pretty solid.

[Castout]

Board is much clearer with red anyway,

Ouch :cry: why me? why blue?

[Arclight]

Well jeesh, if I had to choose between the 2 I'd have gone with blue as well. Same reason as you: red angry, blue tranquil.

[Castout]

Well jeesh, if I had to choose between the 2 I'd have gone with blue as well. Same reason as you: red angry, blue tranquil.

I was half joking about the why me actually but the article got me somewhat worried.

Umm tell me with the blue gone whether your sleep problems go away :DL

[Sailor Steve]

Or avoid it alltogether and get a G110. :O:

Apart from perhaps being a little loud as well it doesn't have any of the mentioned flaws. Lighting color can be toggled between red and blue and brightness is adjustable. (quite happy with blue)
Mine does red, blue and purple. :O: The toggle has four settings, the fourth one being 'Off'. And it has a dimmer knob, and is quiet as a mouse. Quieter, actually. It doesn't squeak when I bang on it.

[Arclight]

Neat. Nobody likes a squeaky board. :lol:

Made a mistake on the colors though, there's a 'box' you can drag a cursor around in. Red on the far left, blue on the far right, bright at the top and dark at the bottom. Can get quite a bit of variation of colors and brightness in it, but I've never bothered beyond full red or blue. :oops:

Lots of nice boards out there, difficult to find the right one just right for you though. :hmmm:
Umm tell me with the blue gone whether your sleep problems go away :DL
Oh noes! My monitor has a faint blue led! I'm doomed!

[Castout]

Yeah too many options out there. From Microsoft to Logitech to Razer to Steel Series.


Made me confused as well.

Especially confusing if you're not looking for mechanical board, there are too many options. They all look nice.

[Castout]

Now I'm used to the blue light. Don't get dizzy by them anymore and not as glaring as I thought they were.

Excellent keyboard experience I must say. Hope it lasts until the day of judgment.

[Reece]

Anyone know what this keyboard is like, looks good!:
KeySonic 8001UEL Gaming Keyboard Blue Green Light
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$%28KGrHqIOKjwE44pJJ6-DBOPVQBCyF%21%7E%7E0_12.JPG