Should you build a keyboard? The keyboards that come with desktop computers are usually some version of the rubber dome design. You push the key all the way down, and the contact on the dome triggers a press. The downside is that the rubber membranes are mushy, inconsistent, and you have to push all the way down every time. They offer a little tactility, but the low travel and mushiness are still grating over time. A mechanical keyboard can best be described as any board with switches that actuate before the point of bottoming out.
For example, Cherry-style metal contact switches. When you press the key down, a stem moves into the housing and allows metal contacts to touch.
This is what fires off each letter. Other types of switches are considered mechanical but have entirely different mechanisms. Topre switches are popular but rather expensive. These switches have a stiff rubber dome and a conical spring. Here, the actuation is triggered by a change in capacitance of the spring as you press, and the tactile bump comes from the dome collapsing.
There are also Alps-style metal contacts, buckling springs, and Hall effect switches. These are all fairly uncommon in modern boards, though. Using a mechanical keyboard can make you a much more effective typist thanks to the precise and consistent feel of the keys. Many switches also have high tactility that helps you estimate when a press will register, allowing you to release and move on to the next key without bottoming out. For gaming, you can use switches that are much smoother and faster to actuate than the keys on cheap membrane boards.
Mechanical boards are also built to last. Each switch is good for millions of presses. Even with heavy use, a good mechanical keyboard can last many years. Enthusiasts actually harvest switches from decades-old keyboards with bad electronics to use in newly built custom boards. The first step in choosing the right keyboard is deciding what layout you want. The traditional full-size board is still the most common, but you might want to use your mechanical transition to change it up.
A full-size board has all the keys you need to operate a computer without worrying about any function layers. You have to move your hands rather far to reach everything and the number pad means your mouse will be pushed farther away from your main typing area. The next step down is tenkeyless TKL , sometimes known as 80 percent keyboards.
If this sounds stressful to you, just give it some thought. How often do you really need a dedicated number pad?
This makes the board much smaller and brings the mouse in closer. The next step down in mainstream boards is 60 percent, which has become popular in the last few years. CONS No configuration software. CONS Battery life is less than stellar. CONS Driverless software makes configuration and firmware updates more difficult than usual. PROS Compact, percent design Comfortable, low-profile switches Four dedicated macro keys Marked keycaps indicate essential function shortcuts. Maybe your trusty old keyboard has typed its last letter or trapped its last bagel crumb.
Perhaps your gaming ambitions have outstripped the mushy, mediocre typer that came with your PC. Or maybe your hands are simply shouting: Hey, cut me some slack here! Whatever the reason, anyone can benefit from a better keyboard. After all, is any part of your computer more hands-on? Before you go shopping, though, it pays to know what makes a keyboard a good fit. Modern models come in a bunch of subtypes, from boards optimized for typing efficiency to sculpted ergonomic designs that cradle your hands and relieve stress on the joints.
Let's dig into the features to look for. Non-gaming keyboards are usually plug-and-play devices, with no additional software to install, meaning that plugging in the keyboard cable is all the setup you'll need. Gaming keyboards, the exception, will typically work as soon as you plug them in, but come with their own software that lets you adjust features such as onboard RGB lighting and the assignment of macro keys.
More on that in a bit. Besides transferring your keystrokes to the computer, a USB connection also powers the keyboard, so there are no batteries to worry about. This isn't usually a problem, since you'll likely be connecting one of these keyboards to a large gaming desktop with many available USB ports. If you want more freedom and less cable clutter on your desk, however, it's hard to beat a wireless keyboard.
Wireless models transmit data to your PC through one of two primary means: an RF connection to a tiny USB dongle, or via a Bluetooth connection with no dongles required. Both have their pros and cons. But if you want to reduce the number of cables on your desk and gain the flexibility to use your keyboard at a distance—whether that be on your lap at your desk, or from across the room—wireless is the way to go. Most wireless keyboards that use USB dongles transmit over the same 2.
The dongle itself is usually a tiny rectangle—small enough to plug in and forget about. Not only is the dongle unobtrusive, but we find that the 2. Note that in some situations, these USB dongles can provide connectivity to more than one device, meaning you can use the single adapter for your wireless keyboard as well as a wireless mouse, assuming that both are the same brand and both support the same scheme.
Logitech, for example, refers to this single-dongle arrangement as "Logitech Unifying"; some, but not all, of its peripherals support it. Bluetooth options make sense in certain situations; they don't monopolize a USB port, and newer versions of Bluetooth—the current one is 5. In regular use, a Bluetooth connection gives you roughly 30 feet of wireless range; we find, however, that Bluetooth keyboards tend to not match devices with a USB dongle on battery life.
New innovations, including hand-proximity sensors, improve the battery life versus older Bluetooth devices, which maintained an always-on link, draining battery quickly. Among the only major drawbacks of mainstream wireless keyboards is that few of them feature key backlighting, which hampers one of their most useful roles: controlling a home theater PC in a softly lit living room. If you do find a wireless model with backlighting, be prepared to change its batteries or recharge it frequently.
Not all keyboards are created equal. Most mainstream and gaming models offer a key numeric pad, which laptops frequently lack and is a necessity for anyone who needs to tally numbers or enter data into a spreadsheet. So-called "tenkeyless" models slice off the numeric pad in the interest of space savings and keeping your typing and mousing hands closer together.
Bear that in mind if you're looking at gaming keyboards, as tenkeyless models are a recent trend especially in that subclass. If you want to go even smaller, 60 percent keyboards eliminate even more keys. Check out our 60 percent keyboard guide for everything you need to know about the category. Both groups appreciate the precise control and feedback that mechanical keyboards provide. Unlike most membrane keyboards, the sounds, feel, and feedback from mechanical keyboards let typists type faster and more accurately, and let gamers control their in-game movement more precisely.
In addition to precision, mechanical keyboards also have a significantly longer lifespan. Many mechanical keyboards are rated to last anywhere from 20 million to million keypresses, while it's typical for a membrane keyboard to only be rated for 5 million to 10 million.
Mechanical keyboards also offer special features that are of interest to gamers, such as "rollover. Mechanical keyboards can do this easily, while membrane keyboards aren't especially good at it, and will often cancel simultaneous presses.
If a key or switch on your mechanical keyboard breaks, you can almost always replace them. Keycaps can be removed with a key puller, a simple tong-like tool that will likely be included with the keyboard. Many gamers replace their keycaps as they age, or replace them with custom keycaps such as special WASD keys. And because keycaps can be easily removed, it's also easy to clean a mechanical keyboard.
Not everyone appreciates mechanical keyboards, though. As mentioned, they can be loud, which is distracting if you're sharing a room with other people. In general, they're also more expensive than membrane keyboards, though there are exceptions. That said, if you're looking to improve your typing speed or accuracy, you might want to check out a mechanical keyboard.
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