34 Issue 1404
Component
WatchT
here are people out there – and on the contributing
team of this magazine – who will tell you that if
you’ve never typed on a gaming or mechanical
keyboard, you’ve neverreallytyped. How good do
keyboardsreally get, though?To find out, we’ve spent this
week’sComponentWatchlooking at the best gaming keyboards
on the market, then finding the best price possible for them.
Sure, they’re expensive. Sure, they’re sometimes a little bit on
the ridiculous side... But when they look and feel so good, can
you really resist them?
Deal 1:Logitech G910 Orion Spark
RRP: £150 / Deal Price: £119
Logitech has long beena
reliable maker of quality,
low-priced hardware, so if
it’s asking an RRP of £150
for a keyboard you know
it’s going to be playing on
the same field as some of
the even more expensive
ones you could avail yourself
of. Romer-G switches, nine
programmable buttons
and multicolour backlit keys mean that this gaming keyboard
more than looks the part, and we hope you’ll agree that at this
significantlyreduced price, it’s worth the money.We certainly
wouldn’t chuck it back.
Where to get it:PC World (bit.ly/1Qu5Cdv)
Deal 2:Cooler Master Quick Fire XTi
RRP: £144 / Deal Price: £129
If you think you would
prefer a gaming keyboard
that isn’t trying to pretend
it was constructed as part of
a sci-fi movie set, the slim,
no-fuss Quick Fire XTi from
Cooler Master is a pretty
safe bet. Fear not, though, it’s still got all the features you’d
want out of a high-end keyboard – four macro keys, Cherry MX
Brown switches and per-key multicolour backlighting – but it’s
also discreet enough that you could happily use it at work as
well. That’s a combination that’s rare enough to make it worth
investigating; the discount is just a bonus.
Where to get it:Saverstore (bit.ly/1poW1y5)
Deal 3:SteelSeries Apex M800
RRP: £150 / Deal Price: £138
Designed for speed and
customisability, the Apex
M800 contains QS1 switches
with fast actuation times and
a 3mm throw depth. The low-
profile board is still compact
and easy to use, though, and
there’s a dedicated onboard CPU that does nothing but process
keypresses to ensure there’s no ghosting – you can press 256 keys
at once and they’ll all stillregister. Macro support and full-colour
backlighting also make this a keyboard worth checkin out –
especially given the price!
Where to get it:Scan (bit.ly/1TSxnCl)Deal 4:Razer BlackWidow Chroma
RRP: £155 / Deal Price: £135
Razer’s gaming peripherals are
always great value, and the
Razer BlackWidow Chroma
is no exception. Its full RGB
backlighting allows for 16.8
million colours, and a 10-key
rollover means you’ll never
miss an input. Its custom-
made microswitches have gold
contacts for maximum conductivity and an anti-dust mechanism
that’ll keep the interior clean where it matters too.
Where to get it:AWD-IT: (bit.ly/1Qnk5dk)Deal 5:Corsair Gaming K95
RRP: £207 / Deal Price: £155
From the gaming hardware
experts at Corsair, this mechanical
keyboard features Cherry MX
Brown microswitches fora
top-quality typing experience,
full RGB backlighting, 122-
key rollover anti-ghosting and
18 dedicated G-Keys that can
hold over a hundred macros.
Furthermore every key is independently programmable so you can
choose exactly what you want them all to do.You won’t finda
better keyboard, and at this price you’d hope not.
Where to get it:AWD-IT (bit.ly/1nja9qY)5
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38
ComponentWatch
Could one of these high-end keyboards be for you?