A truly excellent gaming keyboard can last you for years, likely holding up even longer than a high-end gaming PC can maintain its status as high-end. So, if you’ve looking to deck out your gaming setup, a premium gaming keyboard is a smart way to go. If you start off with a cheap keyboard, you may be stuck waiting for years before it actually needs to be replaced.The best high-end gaming keyboards don’t just look cooler, though that’s definitely a big aspect, but also offers many improved conveniences. You can expect high-end keyboards to offer great extras like per-key RGB lighting on many, premium mechanical key switches, the occasional wrist rest, macro keys, dedicated multimedia controls, and USB passthrough to help with your desk’s cable management.So, if you want the best of the best, from wired to wireless and mechanical to optical, we’ve got just the keyboard for you.
TL;DR These are the Best High-End Gaming Keyboard:
1. Corsair K95 Platinum XT
Best High-End Gaming Keyboard
Interface: Wired Key switch options: Cherry MX Speed, Cherry MX Brown, MX Blue Features: Media controls, Elgato Stream Deck integration, LightEdge bar, per-key RGB lighting, 8MB profile storage, USB passthrough, cushioned leatherette palm rest Size: 18.3″ x 6.7″ x 1.4″
Corsair already held our top spot on this list, and the company clearly knew better than to mess with a great thing when it released the Corsair K95 Platinum XT (read our review). It makes few changes over its predecessor, which we held in top regards, but all of those changes see the best keyboard get even better.The new model still features solid media controls, per-key RGB lighting on Cherry MX Speed or MX Brown switches (and now even Blue), USB passthrough, and a solid build. But, now it uses double-shot PBT keycaps that will resist growing shiny after substantial use and can hold up for years, plus they give the keys a weightier feel. The wrist rest is an upgrade over the prior, rubber wrist rest. It’s now a softer, foam-filled leatherette wrist rest. For streamers, Corsair has something extra special in store, as the six macro keys along the left edge now natively support Elgato Stream Deck integration, letting users control various streaming tools with easily accessible keys.
2. HyperX Alloy Elite RGB
Best High-End Gaming Keyboard On a Budget
Interface: Wired Key switch options: Cherry MX Red, Cherry MX Brown, MX Blue Features: Media controls, RGB light bar, per-key RGB lighting, 8MB profile storage, USB passthrough, detachable wrist rest, 8 extra gaming keycaps Size: 17.48″ x 6.65″ x 1.53″
The HyperX Alloy Elite RGB is a great keyboard by all acounts. The catch? It’s getting a little old at over two years since it’s introduction. But, it’s still available and the parts it’s built from are still no joke. Of course, thanks to that age, it all costs less now.In fact, the HyperX Alloy Elite RGB is comparable in many ways to our top pick. It doesn’t have as soft of a wrist rest, and it lacks dedicated macro keys, but that can be a benefit for some gamers, as it frees up a little extra desk space. The HyperX Alloy Elite RGB also offers up the option of Cherry MX Red, Brown, or Blue switches. It also has extra, textured keycaps for the WASD keys and 1-4 of the number row to help gamers. So, if you want a keyboard that does everything a premium model should but comes at a discount, this is the one.
3. Logitech G915 Lightspeed Wireless
Best High-End Wireless Gaming Keyboard
Interface: USB Wireless, Bluetooth Key switch options: Low-profile GL Clicky, Low-profile GL Linear, Low-profile GL Tactile Features: Per-key RGB lighting, media controls, rechargeable battery, three onboard profiles Battery Life: 30 hours – 135 days Size: 22.5″ x 7.9″ x 1.8″
Logitech’s flagship G915 Orion Lightspeed Wireless (read our review) flies in the face of every gaming keyboard convention and pulls it off with aplomb. While you might think this wireless peripheral that utilizes low-profile keys is doomed to fail, it’s actually one of our most favorite gaming keyboards of all time.The shorter throw on the keys makes you a faster typist and there’s no perceivable lag from switching to a wireless connection. Add in the fact you get 30 hours of regular usage with full RGB lighting and up to 135 days of non-stop gaming with illumination turned off, and this wireless gaming keyboard really doesn’t have any faults.
4. Roccat Vulcan 122 Aimo
Best High-End Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Interface: Wired Key switch options: Titan Brown Features: Per-key RGB lighting, media controls Size: 18.2″ x 9.2″ x 1.3″
The Roccat Vulcan 122 AIMO has one of the industry’s most interesting and feeling mechanical switches. Instead of featuring full-on keycaps, you basically get key-lids sitting on top of mechanical switches. The key switches themselves feel like tactile Cherry MX Brown keys, but faster thanks to the way Roccat’s design minimizes key bounce.At only $159, the Roccat Vulcan 122 Aimo is one of the more affordable high-end keyboard options here. But don’t think it sacrifices on quality at all just because it cheaper. This peripheral still features an aluminum top plate, full media controls, and a nifty magnetic palm rest.
5. Razer Huntsman Elite
Best High-End Optical Gaming Keyboard
Interface: Wired Key switch options: Razer Opto-Mechanical switch Features: Per-key RGB lighting, plush wrist rest, media controls Size: 17.6″ x 9.2″ x 1.4″
Razer’s top-of-the-line Huntsman Elite gaming keyboard (read our review) features optical switches over the ho-hum mechanical switches available on most gaming keyboards these days. Aside from the coolness factor of playing games with freaking lasers, Razer’s “opto-mechanical” switches have proven themselves to be faster to respond and longer lasting than your traditional mechanical switch.You also get some novel volume wheel and other dedicated media keys on this premium gaming keyboard. Lastly, the proverbial icing on the cake is Razer’s Chroma lighting that’s not only on the keys but wraps all around the Huntsman Elite’s frame and even the palm rest.
6. Logitech G Pro X
Best High-End Tenkeyless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Interface: Wired Key switch options: GX Blue, GX Brown, GX Red Features: Per-key RGB lighting, onboard lighting profiles, replaceable switches Size: 14.2″ x 6.02″ x 1.3″
The Logitech G Pro X is built like an Abrams tank and it can rock three different types of Logitech’s proprietary mechanical switches at the same time. While a lot of keyboard makers have made promises to introduce replaceable mechanical switches, Logitech was one of the first companies to actually make it happen.You can take out any switch on this tenkeyless gaming keyboard and insert one with a clickier, silent tactile, or fully linear feel. Better yet, you can have to completely different feeling switches right next to each other, allowing you to fully customize how your gaming keyboard functions.
7. Das Keyboard 4 Professional
Best High-End Gaming Keyboard for Work
Interface: Wired Key switch options: Cherry MX Brown, Cherry MX Blue Features: USB 3.0 passthrough, media controls Size: 18″ x 6.8″ x 1.3″
The Das Keyboard 4 Professional (read our review) is more for people who work most of the time but also game. If that’s you and you’re fed up with RGB lighting, this is an excellent high-end mechanical keyboard option. It’s an extremely well-made board, featuring Cherry MX Brown switches, premium craftsmanship, and dedicated media controls just above the number pad, including a sweet volume wheel.In addition to its lack of RGB lighting, this keyboard is also missing macro keys, and it costs the same as the RGB keyboards above, so you’re paying for the quality of the understated design more than any specific features.
What to look for in a High-End Gaming Keyboard
Today, the best high-end keyboards for gaming all sport a similar design and feature set that’s dictated by what is currently en vogue in the gaming world. That includes a healthy combination of most of the following: per-key RGB lighting, mechanical switches either from Cherry or made in-house, dedicated media controls and macro keys, USB and headset passthrough ports, and easy to use software to let you assign macros, customize your lighting, and even set up per-game profiles.Finding the right high-end keyboard for you is all about taking a look at how manufacturers combine these features in different ways. You should seek out a high-end gaming keyboard that strikes the right balance between form and function.
Kevin Lee is IGN’s Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspamMark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
Home>>Politic>>We tested the best high-end gaming keyboards to find out which one reigns supreme. Here is our pick!
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