ISO Expert Mechanical Keyboard Advice! Help Me Choose!

[Iron_Man*22]

Okay, I need someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to mechanical keyboards. I have a few questions. First off, let me say that I am in the process of buying my first mechanical keyboard. Currently I'm using a Sidewinder X4 that I've loved, but the red LED back-lighting doesn't go with my blue/black theme, plus it's ancient and I've heard oh so many good things about Cherry MX switches. I am first and foremost a gamer, mostly FPS but also a little of everything. That being said, I still have long coding sessions and papers to type so that is still important to me. Price is NO issue. I will drop some serious penny on the perfect, long-lasting product. I would rather not have 2 keyboards on my desk (one for gaming, and one for typing).

 

I want a fully stocked keyboard (NOT 10 Keyless) that is a beast in performance for gaming and still very comfortable to type on for hours. Here are my wants and needs for the perfect keyboard: 1. RBG or Blue LED Back-Lighting (RGB preferred) 2. Gaming Key Switches (Idk if Cherries are the best or if Logitech's Romer-G and Razer's Mechanical switches are truly better for gaming) 3. Media keys, volume scroll wheel, detachable wrist pad, & macro keys 4. Onboard memory and processing power (I read this guy's review and I feel like it will help gaming performance, is he wrong though?). 5.Silent (I hate the clacking sound), little to no flex, with durable keycaps.

 

From my own research I've narrowed it down to a few options, and with those options there are compromises and questions (Why can't there be just 1 keyboard to rule them all??!). NOTE***These are the ones I have found, if you guys have keyboard suggestions that fit me better please suggest away!

 

Logitech G910 Orion Spark

 

Corsair Gaming k95 RGB

 

Roccat Ryos MK Pro

 

Razer Blackwidow Chroma Stealth

 

Here are my questions:

 

1. Are the Romer-G/Razer Mechanicals actually better for gaming than the cherry mx switches? 

2. Is onboard Memory/processor REALLY as important as the guy (in the review linked above) says it is? Logitech's and Razer's don't have onboard memory/processor, should I worry?

3. Which Cherry MX is truly the best for gaming/typing? I've read the browns are a good compromise but that the reds are the best for gaming. How much better are the reds vs. browns for gaming?

4. Cherry MX vs Romer-G vs Razer Mechanicals...Who's the winner?

 

Here are my thoughts on each keyboard:

 

1. The Orion Spark looks awesome, has a ton of features and their own gaming switch. I have the G502 mouse and love it. My only problem with this keyboard are the crazy key caps and no onboard memory/processor (however if onboard mem/pro isn't really a big deal performance wise then it would just be the keycaps). As far as I know there are no alternative keycap replacements and I would be forced to get used to these ones. Who knows, maybe I would love the keycap design. I hear they are a good cap design for gaming but a nightmare for typing. I want something that gives just as much of an edge in gaming as this keyboard but is great to type on.

 

2. The K95 seems almost perfect, the only thing holding me back on this one is whether or not its Cherry MX switch is truly inferior to the new Romer-G/Razer switches. Tons of macro keys. TONS. It looks stylish, it has great RGB lighting, brushed aluminum, media keys, volume wheel, detachable comfy looking wrist wrest. The only thing that would make this better is if it had a side swapable num pad like the sidewinder x6 (why doesn't everyone do that??)

 

3. The Roccat was one that I looked at for a while but I have some reservations about. First off, The board does have an impressive onboard dual processor and memory. It's not RGB which would have been better but it has a good blue led backlight. There is a wrist rest but its not detachable and is kinda giant. I read the rest isn't flush with the desktop either which might be bothersome. No media keys or volume wheel (those aren't TOO big of a deal but I still want them) but it does have macro keys below the space bar which I think is a cool and good idea. Also my pick of Cherry switches. Again there's the question: Cherry vs. Romer-G/Razer Mechanicals. This has USB/Audio pass thru which is nice but I have a separate hub for that.

 

4. Finally, the Razer Blackwidow Chroma Stealth. It has no onboard memory/processor. It does have redesigned Razer Mechanical switches which are supposed to be faster and better. Great RGB Lighting. A pathetic attempt at a wrist wrest but I could always get an after market one which could even be better than having a built in one, idk. The key switches are SILENT and that is a nice plus for me -- to have gaming switches that are silent. No crazy keycaps like the G910. Overall a solid choice.

 

So there you all have it. Everything that's been going thru my head these past couple days. Overall I feel like I would love to try them out side by side to see and feel it all in person but I don't have a store nearby that carries any let alone all of these. I'll update as I go to help answer this thread also. Thanks for reading and PLEASE HELP! 

 

[STRMfrmXMN]

There's no such thing as "X switch is better than Y switch" because it's completely subjective. Check out the keyswitch guide in my sig for that.

 

I've never used onboard memory on a mouse but if you bring your mouse places with you it's not a bad thing to have.

 

No such thing. It's subjective.

 

Romer-Gs are actually made well so there's a winner there but I hate typing on either because the Kailh switches in the Razer keyboard are made of the cheapest plastic ever and the Romer-Gs actuate too quickly for my liking.

 

Orion Spark is overpriced, I will say that much. Even people like @TheSLSAMG who own one and like it can probably attest to this. It is subjective how you feel about the typing experience though.

 

K95 is good but giant.

 

Roccat is a decent option but the Corsair is probably better made.

 

Eww Razer,

[royalcrown]

Regarding point 2:

 

Even "inferior" switches are probably going to wear out long after you do. I actually threw up on my Quickfire TK KB (cherry blue), washed it, alcohol and water IN the switches. Then cleaned them with contact cleaner and it wasn't smooth anymore. Sprayed some contact lube in there and good as new, just like before and they all work fine. Cherrys are pretty indestructible as far as my experience goes so far.

[CapricaBuccaneers]

I bought my Orion Spark because it was cheaper than the Corsair and Razer RGBs as well as the Ducky Shine 4. £120 is still expensive whichever way you put it, and marginal differences aside they're all in the same price bracket (at least here in the UK).

Part of the reason people who've tried mine find it difficult to type on is their inability to adapt to the new keycaps - they've even outright said so. They want Cherry switches and standard keycaps, or else. They're not interested in trying something else.

It does take some time to adjust to, but it's not as bad as say trying to move to a Dvorak layout - which I personally found much more annoying.

None of the keyboards I've owned have had onboard memory so honestly I couldn't say if it's a must have or not - I've gotten by just swell without them. You are able to import/export profiles through the Logitech Gaming Software so I would imagine it would be as easy as uploading them to a USB drive or cloud storage should you need to take your keyboard with you. Not ideal but a decent enough workaround.

I'd definitely suggest you consider a Ducky Shine 5 (or even an earlier model) because despite a couple of compromises (external wristrest needed, media functions are Fn+) they're very comfortable to use for both gaming and typing. The Cherry switches and normal keycaps seem to fit most people's preferences, so that's a bonus.

[TheSLSAMG]

There's no such thing as "X switch is better than Y switch" because it's completely subjective. Check out the keyswitch guide in my sig for that.

 

I've never used onboard memory on a mouse but if you bring your mouse places with you it's not a bad thing to have.

 

No such thing. It's subjective.

 

Romer-Gs are actually made well so there's a winner there but I hate typing on either because the Kailh switches in the Razer keyboard are made of the cheapest plastic ever and the Romer-Gs actuate too quickly for my liking.

 

Orion Spark is overpriced, I will say that much. Even people like @TheSLSAMG who own one and like it can probably attest to this. It is subjective how you feel about the typing experience though.

 

K95 is good but giant.

 

Roccat is a decent option but the Corsair is probably better made.

 

Eww Razer,

Yeah, the Orion Spark is one expensive keyboard. If I had to make that decision again, I think I would have bought a Pok3r and a Strafe or something instead.

[Iron_Man*22]

There's no such thing as "X switch is better than Y switch" because it's completely subjective. Check out the keyswitch guide in my sig for that.

 

I've never used onboard memory on a mouse but if you bring your mouse places with you it's not a bad thing to have.

 

No such thing. It's subjective.

 

Romer-Gs are actually made well so there's a winner there but I hate typing on either because the Kailh switches in the Razer keyboard are made of the cheapest plastic ever and the Romer-Gs actuate too quickly for my liking.

 

Orion Spark is overpriced, I will say that much. Even people like @TheSLSAMG who own one and like it can probably attest to this. It is subjective how you feel about the typing experience though.

 

K95 is good but giant.

 

Roccat is a decent option but the Corsair is probably better made.

 

Eww Razer,

Great advice, I always knew that it would come down to personal preference on which key switch is best. I'm just wondering if the Romer-G switches really are "25% faster/better for gaming!" as Logitech claims. I agree with you that it's a little pricey, but honestly that's depends on what you're looking for. If it has everything someone is looking for people would be happy and willing to pay top dollar. Yeah I was never a fan of Razer. Over hyped and over used. I think I'm leaning toward the K95 Cherry Reds. I'll throw some dampeners on it to quiet it down. I'm going to try and find an Orion Spark and a K95 somewhere close to compare the switches and see what I like best. I might even just buy both and send back the one I don't like haha.  

[Iron_Man*22]

I bought my Orion Spark because it was cheaper than the Corsair and Razer RGBs as well as the Ducky Shine 4. £120 is still expensive whichever way you put it, and marginal differences aside they're all in the same price bracket (at least here in the UK).

Part of the reason people who've tried mine find it difficult to type on is their inability to adapt to the new keycaps - they've even outright said so. They want Cherry switches and standard keycaps, or else. They're not interested in trying something else.

It does take some time to adjust to, but it's not as bad as say trying to move to a Dvorak layout - which I personally found much more annoying.

None of the keyboards I've owned have had onboard memory so honestly I couldn't say if it's a must have or not - I've gotten by just swell without them. You are able to import/export profiles through the Logitech Gaming Software so I would imagine it would be as easy as uploading them to a USB drive or cloud storage should you need to take your keyboard with you. Not ideal but a decent enough workaround.

I'd definitely suggest you consider a Ducky Shine 5 (or even an earlier model) because despite a couple of compromises (external wristrest needed, media functions are Fn+) they're very comfortable to use for both gaming and typing. The Cherry switches and normal keycaps seem to fit most people's preferences, so that's a bonus.

Yeah I considered the Ducky 4/5 for a while, it just came down to no macros, volume wheel, lacking software and other little unimportant features that added up. They are solid, well built simplistic models but I wanted something with more little features. I wonder if you make a solid point about the romer-g keycaps...I bet most haters on the romer-g's are people who have gotten used to and love the cherries. I wonder since I've never had a cherry keyboard and have therefore never gotten used to cherry mx's, maybe I'll get used to the romer-g caps and switches quite easily. Would you say then, that you are fully used to your G910's keycaps and that you can type for longer periods without a problem?

 

Also I tried to find somewhere that sells ducky shine 5's...I failed. Any ideas on where to buy?

[CapricaBuccaneers]

I'm up and running with the G910 now yes, it's not actually that hard to get used to - there's a 'lip' raised around the top of each main keycap that seems to put people off. Though this isn't present on keys such as Shift, Ctrl, Alt or Space etc.

I had to train myself not to second guess the key I was pressing because it felt different - this seems mostly a habitual reaction for me, I'd spend a fair amount of time looking down to check what key I'd pressed only to find it was the right one anyway.

As far as the DS5 - here Overclockers UK are supposed to be stocking them sometime shortly, before the end of October. USA not a clue, sorry.