برچسب: TKL

The Glorious GMMK 3 sits at the top of our best gaming keyboard list for one simple reason: you can design it to be what you want. This is easily the most customizable off-the-shelf gaming keyboard you can buy, with you able to spec up your own version of it, choosing everything from the outer case to the internal gasket mounts, switchplates and of course the switches and keycaps. You can also just buy a standard-spec version then upgrade parts over time.

What’s more, the core design of the GMMK 3 and GMMK 3 Pro is great, with a clean overall look that you can make your own. Build quality generally is excellent and the starting price of the range is reasonable, at $120. That rises a lot, though, when you really start speccing these keyboards up, with the priciest units made with solid aluminum cases costing north of $500. But that’s still cheaper than most truly custom-built boards.

Crucially, with the option to add Hall Effect switches, these keyboards can offer the rapid trigger and analog functions so coveted by many gamers these days, making these high performance keyboards, as well as versatile ones. They also come in wired or wireless and in a range of sizes, though there are no extra keys or other multimedia features, other than a volume knob.

There are a few factors to note before ordering one of these keyboard – so check our full review to get the full picture – but if you’re after a high-quality custom keyboard without the hassle and extreme cost, this is the way to go. A quality alternative that isn’t quite as customizable is the Drop CSTM80.

Read our full Glorious GMMK 3 review.

If you’re strapped for cash and want a dependable gaming keyboard, look no further than the Corsair K55 Core. While it’s a budget board, it has a handful of crucial features that make it a better option than even cheaper boards.

For a start, it has a 1000Hz polling rate for a fast response and, although it doesn’t have N-key rollover, it has 12-key rollover, which means you can press 12 keys at once and it won’t drop any key presses.

It’s also reasonably well built for a for thin, plastic board – it doesn’t flex, wobble or rattle too much. It’s also a full size board, so while many gamers prefer a compact board, you do at least get lots of keys for your money with this option.

You also get RGB backlighting for easy readbility in the dark and a fun lightshow. It’s only ten-zone RGB rather than per-key, but that still allows for some fun effects. What’s more, crucially, it is fully supported in Corsair’s iCUE software, so you get full access to syncing your keyboard’s RGB lighting with the rest of your system, plus you can program some aspects of the board and program game-specifics functions.

All this and you get a few multimedia keys for adjusting volume, muting, play/pausing your media and there are dedicated keys for adjusting the backlight brightness and turning off the Windows key. The latter is considered a crucial addition for some gamers that want to ensure an accidental tap of the Windows key doesn’t send them to the desktop mid-game.

Read our Corsair K55 Core review for more.

The Corsair K70 Core offers the essentials of a mechanical gaming keyboard while being super affordable. Priced at under $90, it provides a full-size layout and includes RGB lighting, media control, a wrist rest, and is supported by Corsair’s iCUE software so that it’s easy to program its buttons and sync its lighting with the rest of your system.

Unsurprisingly, it does come with some compromises, though. Build quality is basic and you get only one choice of switch, which is Corsair’s own MLX Red linear switches. They’re absolutely fine but aren’t hot swappable and don’t offer any analog control and all the associated features that come with that control.

However, you do get full per-key RGB backlighting and the choice of black, steel gray, or white color schemes, plus you can easily swap the keycaps to get the look you want. The cherry blossom set is particularly charming.

The other fairly sizeable compromise here is that this is a wired keyboard with a fixed cable, so if it breaks, you’ll have to get a replacement board or break out the screwdriver and soldering iron. However, all this is reflected in a really competitive price that makes this keyboard a great entry into the world of mechanical gaming keyboards.

Read our full Corsair K70 Core review for more details.

The Corsair K65 Plus Wireless is our pick for the best wireless gaming keyboard as it offers great styling, decent customization, several extra features, and great value.

This compact, 75%-size board is ideal for those that want to maximize desktop space for other uses yet it doesn’t compromise too much on day-to-day usability or learnability, which can be the case with some even smaller board types that have a steep learning curve. So, you don’t need to learn a key combination to access cursor keys and F1-F12 keys like you do on some boards.

You also key a multi-function dial in the top right for controlling media and other features, all of which can be controlled via Corsair’s iCUE software.

What’s more, this board can be customized to a reasonable degree thanks to swappable switches and keycaps. The only caveat is it lacks support for analog switches so you can’t use Snap Tap/Rapid Trigger type features.

Finally, it’s wireless with up to three saveable Bluetooth profiles and a steady 2.4GHz connection possible. All this is backed up by a super long battery life, that can be extended if you disable the delightfully muted backlighting.

Read our Corsair K65 Plus Wireless review for more.

The Be Quiet! Dark Mount takes over from the Mountain Everest Max as our favorite modular keyboard and also takes the crown for the quietest keyboard we’ve ever tested too. If you want a keyboard that provides the functionality of a full-size keyboard but the compactness of a TKL board, this is the board for you.

Be Quiet! actually bought the company Mountain in order to use its clever modular keyboard tech and it’s used to great effect in this keyboard. You can simply pull the numpad section off to make a TKL board and gain loads of extra space for your mouse. You can even attach the numpad to the left side of the board. Meanwhile, a detachable multimedia section also provides a volume wheel and lots of extra buttons, and can also be attached in two different positions on the main keyboard.

Programmable OLED-backlit buttons on the numpad section also provide loads of customizable quick-access functions and add a way to customize the look of this otherwise fairly simple-looking keyboard.

The Dark Mount also uses three layers of sound deadening and custom Be Quiet! keyswitches to make this the quietest keyboard we’ve ever tested. The Razer Huntsman V2 is a cheaper alternative if you only care about low noise and not all the other features of this board, but the Dark Mount is actually even quieter.

The key thing you miss out on with this keyboard, other than wireless, is analog keyswitches. The switches here are swappable but they can’t offer the actuation height adjustment or Snap Tap features of other gaming performance-focused boards.

Read our Be Quiet! Dark Mount review.

The Drop CSTM80 is a great-looking compact gaming keyboard with plenty of customization and gaming features. It’s a very close contender to the Glorious GMMK3 but with a little less overall customization available to it but a cheaper price if you’re looking for a metal-built mid-range option.

The design here is super clean, with a 75% layout and a frame system that keeps the edges of the board looking tidy – no exposed switches here – and lets you swap the top plate of the board. Along with lots of different color options you can choice from metal ones, and there’s even one that’s goldplated.

Like the GMMK3, this board uses a gasket mount for its keys, which allows the board to incorporate small cushioning pads around them to just slightly soften their landing. The effect is that you still get a board that feels rigid and responsive but with a slightly softer, gentler feel and sound than board that mount the switches directly to the top of the board.

We’re also a big fan of the the fact that this board doesn’t need a driver. You can plug the CSTM80 in without needing to download any additional software. Should you wish to customize the inputs, you can download software, but it is not required under any circumstances.

Read our Drop CSTM80 review for more.

If you prefer a low-profile and minimalist keyboard, the Lofree Flow 100 is a fantastic choice. Not only is it thin but despite offering a full-size set of keys, it uses a compact layout that makes it significantly smaller than a typical full-size keyboard.

This does immediately come with some compromises, though, with the compressed layout sometimes making some of the keys feel like they’re getting in the way of each other. We didn’t find it too much of a problem but if you’re a bit more casual with how you fling your hand towards the Del or Backspace keys, for instance, you may get frustrated at finding you’ve just hit the Home or Num Lock button instead.

Otherwise, this board offers a great balance of clean, compact convenience but solid build quality and performance. Its frame it made from aluminum and under those low-profile keys are proper low-profile mechanical keyswitches (Kailh Full POM).

Read our full Lofree Flow 100 review.

If you’re after a premium 75% gaming keyboard that’s fairly easy to modify but doesn’t cost the earth, the Razer Blackwidow V4 75% is a great option. Its compact layout and sleek design, which uses an aluminum top plate, has much of the premium feel of a custom keyboard but without starting at a ludicrous price.

The board also features a few convenient media controls, is available in silver or black anodized finishes and, crucially, is easy to modify. Razer has equipped the board with swappable switches with sockets that are compatible with other non-Razer 5-pin switches. Plus, you can easily dismantle the board to tweak its internals. There aren’t that many compatible upgrades available but the option’s there to tinker.

All this and the Blackwidow V4 75% starts at a reasonable price. It’s still fairly expensive but this is a board with a premium build. The main downside here is a lack of wireless and no option for analog switches, with all their clever adjustable actuation and rapid trigger features. If you’re not an ultra competitive gamer, though, the latter doesn’t matter much.

Read our Razer Blackwidow V4 75% review for more.

The Monsgeek Fun60 Ultra is absolutely packed with the latest in gaming keyboard switch tech. It uses magnetic switches with a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor to provide ultra-accurate analog switch response that can then be used to provide all sorts of clever functions.

For instance, you can adjust the actuation distance of each key, plus you can setup rapid trigger, where you can retrigger a keypress the moment you slightly let go of a key, instead of needing to let the key come all the way back up. Then there’s snap key, which lets you alternate between two keys without having to press each individually – just hold down one and tap the other. The latter is so transformative for fast strafing in games that it’s even banned in CS2.

All this and you can also swap the switches in this keyboard and even mix and math analog magnetic switches with standard mechanical switches. So, you can maintain a normal typing feel for most and just retain the really rapid response for the WASD keys, for instance.

With wireless and Bluetooth support, up to 8kHz polling and some really nice color gradient keycap designs (including south facing legends) and you have one killer mini keyboard, all for under $100. With the polling rate forced to 8kHz right now (potentially fixed with a future firmware update) and subsequently very short battery life, there’s a little room for improvement but this is still the ultimate mini gaming keyboard right now.

Read our full Monsgeek Fun60 Ultra review to learn more.

The Be Quiet! Light Mount fits an interesting niche that may be precisely the type of keyboard you want. It delivers both lots of RGB, thanks to full per-key backlighting and three lighting strips round the edges of the board, and very quiet operation thanks to lots of sound dampening.

If that’s a combo that appeals – bright lights but low noise – then the Light Mount delivers the goods for a decent price.

Where this keyboard is less capable is in cutting-edge gaming features. Because it’s only available with conventional – though swappable – mechanical switches it can’t offer all the clever analog switch features that have been taking over competitive gaming keyboards. Features like adjustable actuation distance, snap tap, and rapid trigger simply can’t be done with this board.

If you’re not into getting the very last competitive advantage in your gaming, though, the Light Mount otherwise delivers a great typing experience and is a very dependable and quiet gaming keyboard too, though if you want the absolute quietest board, the Be Quiet! Dark Mount is even quieter!

Find out more in our Be Quiet! Light Mount review.

Small and compact, stylish, and oh-so-satisfying to type on, the Corsair K100 Air RGB is our recommendation for anyone who likes the low and slim look.

This is one of the lightest mechanical keyboards we’ve ever come across, and we’re impressed that it still feels so good to use. The keys could still be better though, as over time you’ll notice that they are a bit rattly, even flimsy, but this is a somewhat unsurprising features of having such low-profile key switches.

On which, we know some people will be a little less keen on the flat key design. It lacks the easy of feeling your way around a keyboard that comes with large, more distinct keycaps. Nontheless, ff you’re happy enough typing on a laptop, you’ll have no issues here.

Despite drawbacks, this is a really compelling package, if you’re not into the heavy, clunky style of more traditionally mechanical gaming keyboards.

Read our Corsair K100 Air review.

The Royal Kludge RK61 is our favorite ultra-compact 60% gaming keyboard for a few reasons, but the core of its appeal is its incredibly low price for what is still a proper mechanical keyboard. That means you get reliably typing feel and response and the option to swap the switches and keycaps, all for under $45.

This is also a great-looking board, even despite its lack of premium build materials. It’s just clean, simple, and of course takes up hardly any desk space. That’s doubly true if you use it in wireless mode. Yes, this board is even wireless, with Bluetooth and 2.4GHz via an included dongle available.

The main downside is that the 60% layout takes some getting used to. Some gamers swear by such boards – and purely for gaming, it’s fine – but for typing and day-to-day other tasks, the lack of cursor keys, F-keys, and a numpad can be quite disruptive until you learn all the key combinations (layers) that can trigger these features.

Still, for its price, this is a great board that’s available in black and white with several switch options too.

The Monsgeek M1W SP remains arguably the fanciest-looking keyboard we’ve ever reviewed, thanks to an incredibly sturdy and heavy aluminum case. At 4.3lbs (1.9kg) we guarantee you that despite reading that number you will still be surprised at how difficult this keyboard is to pickup.

It’s also a board with a great typing experience, thanks to its gasket mounted switch setup. Plus, you can swap the switches to whichever type you prefer, though analog switches aren’t supported.

As Monsgeek’s Amazon listing puts it, the M1W is not only an aluminum keyboard but a “75% aluminum keyboard with a knob.” Yes, you get a volume/mute knob in the top right of the board, though that’s it for dedicated media controls on this compact 75% layout.

Our only major gripe with this board is that it’s not the quietest – though we gather the upgraded version has improved sound dampening – and the default keycaps aren’t very legible. They look great, with their south-facing layout and gray gradient but I ended up swapping to more conventional keycaps using this board long term.

Read our Monsgeek M1W SP review for more information.