Keyboard Gaming Choices

[Not Bman]

So I finally need a new keyboard. Mine died, or somewhat died.

I don't want to spend more then $99.99 on it.

I have always been interested in the Logitech G15 type ones. But now i have been looking at the Razer boards, which are really nice. And I don't really know anymore for gaming, or at least that quality.

What is my best choice for that price, what do you suggest.

 

[napalmnthemorning]

I've tried a few gaming boards and I always come back to my basic generic black board . Check these out
Optimus Maximus I'm seeing over a $1000 on Ebay for it. You wanted to pay more then $99 !
Demo

The SteelSeries is suppose to be very nice also. Out of my price range on those but right up your alley Bman

 

[Not Bman]

I said I DON'T want to pay more lol

And I found a good deal on the Logitech G11 board, anyone have reasons not to buy this board....

 

[indyjones]

Got the original G15 and its great The LCD is actually very nice and useful IF the game supports it ..

 

[rotjong]

It became time for me to purchase a newer gaming keyboard and, unfortunately, the original Logitech G15 keyboard is impossible to get a hold of without paying way too much or getting it used and even then most people want way too much for it. I went with the Logitech G15 revision 2 keyboard.

Initially, I had some issues with the keyboard. The use of red LEDs annoyed me because everything else on my system is blue LED in colour so it stood out and bothered me that it was different. Given some time I have come to very much like the use of the red LED, however. More importantly, I had been using a Microsoft ergonomic keyboard for as long as I can remember. Going from the split and slightly turned keyboard layout to typing using a "normal" keyboard again was extremely difficult. Not only were the keys closer together but I am forced to position my hands and wrists differently. I had some issues as a result but within a week I had completely re-acclimated to using a normal keyboard again and can touch-type with this keyboard as if I've been using it forever.

The Logitech G15 works beautifully under XP Pro 32-bit SP2/SP3 and Vista Ultimate 64-bit SP0/SP1/SP2 in my experience. The colour is attractive and good in a dark or dimly light room with the LED brightness levels. Another level would be useful, however, since there are only 3 settings: off, dim, brightest. I would like to see an additional setting that is brighter but I wouldn't not purchase the keyboard simply over that. The software and drivers work wonderfully although the Logitech Media Display which shows media info on the LCD can cause problems with other software obtaining exclusive access to CD/DVD drives. I disabled it.

When I first contemplated a gaming keyboard I looked around. I looked at the Razer keyboards since I also use a Deathadder mouse but, in the end, I went with the Logitech G15 because it has long since been considered the best of the best by many people. I also took a friend's opinion into account who has owned both the G15 rev 1 and G15 rev 2 keyboards.

The G15 isn't the cheapest keyboard but it has been around for awhile and has a proven record of being a good board. I definitely recommend this board to someone looking for a new keyboard or replacement especially for gaming. The only real issue I have when all is said and done is that I feel the wrist rest which, of course, attaches to the front is not of a solid enough quality. The rest is thin plastic and I don't feel the connection to the keyboard body is secure enough. It stays connected but I could see the plastic connectors that are part of the rest, itself, breaking. The body of the keyboard, itself, is solid. The wrist rest just seems like it was handled as an afterthought.

NewEgg USA has the G15 rev 2 for $89.99 which is robbery. Amazon USA is selling the G15 for $79.99 but some Amazon marketplace sellers have it for even less.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another G15 were I to build a new system or need to replace my current G15.

 

[Not Bman]

Are you sure you are talking about the G15, and not the G11. Cause on Logitech's website when you compare the 2, the G11 has more features, but is cheaper. So I was confused.

 

[rotjong]

I'm talking about the G15.

The G11 may seem to have more features but you can use some of the macro keys for normal functioning rather than internet specific key shortcuts. You also have the LCD on the G15 which is not on the G11. The G15 does also have a palm rest. It's even in the picture. I don't know why they claim it doesn't yet say the G11 does when in the picture I see no palm rest. The G11 does have more programmable "G" keys but I don't find it to be the better keyboard.

IMHO, the product comparison Logitech on its own website is confusing to say the least. The G15 rev 2 is smaller than the original G15 and I believe the downsizing resulted in it losing some of "G" keys. I'd still go with the G15.

One useful thing about the G15 is that I have Lavalys Everest and I use the G15's LCD to display the time, uptime, CPU, GPU, Northbridge, and Southbridge temps. I don't have to have it show up in my systray or on the desktop. I can keep track of temps real-time from glancing at the LCD. Everest and the G15 work together right out of the box. You just have to set up what information you wish to see displayed. You can't do that with the G11.

 

[Not Bman]

I don't care too much for the screen, I had one before, meh.

I found the G11 for $70CAD, the original G15 or even rev2 is 2 times that. The features that you just said they had and don't have, is ok with me. Unless there are techically issues, or things like that I will be picking up the G11 (downside, my system has RED leds right now, the G11 has blue lol)

 

[ElementalDragon]

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 FTW!

 

[rotjong]

I'm sure that I'd find that comfortable for normal use however for macros and gaming it makes things a pain, IMHO. Also, the MS Ergonomic 4000 is missing backlit keys for dim/dark gaming sessions which is one of the key features I required when I went looking for a new keyboard.

I miss typing using my MS ergonomic keyboard. Typing so much easier and required far less hand, wrist, and finger movement, IMHO. In the long run, the Logitech keyboard is an all-around solid board. The G11 should still be a good keyboard even if I prefer the G15.

 

[Not Bman]

I just had to ask, cause my whole teen/kid life I knew gaming mice and keyboards being the logitech items. Now when I have money and the need to upgrade, there is this Razer company and a few others. So I wanted to make sure Logitech was still worse it.

I am sure I will be happy with the G11, just hoping I won't need something else or miss out on something.

 

[rotjong]

I just had to ask, cause my whole teen/kid life I knew gaming mice and keyboards being the logitech items. Now when I have money and the need to upgrade, there is this Razer company and a few others. So I wanted to make sure Logitech was still worse it.

I am sure I will be happy with the G11, just hoping I won't need something else or miss out on something.

I never actually had a chance to physically handle the Razer keyboards so I can't give a complete impression of them but having done some reading up on them I did find some issues noted by some people. They do look nice. What I can say for sure is that Razer has always created solid mice. I still have an older Boomslang. It was an amazing mouse technically speaking but it was horribly shaped and I never was able to really use it with getting cramps in my hand. My Razer Deathadder is shaped more like a conventional mouse and you simply couldn't get me to switch to another mouse. It's beautiful.

The Logitech G11, G15 rev 1, and G15 rev 2 keyboards are all respected wherever I have read so I don't see you being disappointed and feeling that you missed out on something.

 

[indyjones]

I think most points have been covered by rotjong. Do not dismiss the screen unless you really can't afford it, if you want to play music in game its great (control and track information on the screen). Plus depending on the game the information is really good, BF2 is good (its an add on) but games live crysis and c&c 3 have really rice built in plug ins.
Still as you said Bman if you can't afford the higher model go for the G11 it's still a great board.

 

[LordOfLA]

using the orange G15 here myself nice little keyboard and great for when it gets dark without me realising

 

[Not Bman]

Good to hear, I should be picking up the G11 tonight. Yea the most important part for me is backlit, some extra keys, and good feel. That is about it. The screen for game detail and computer details would be nice, but i have never needed it before, so meh.

 

[rotjong]

using the orange G15 here myself nice little keyboard and great for when it gets dark without me realising

Actually, when I first saw pictures of the keyboard and everything I kept saying, "But... it's not red. It's orange! It's ugly!" I so wanted blue LEDs. Given some time, however, it does now look red to me and I do believe the red is better on the eyes in dim light than blue could be even though both are good low-light colours. I couldn't live without a backlit keyboard anymore. I can touch-type in the dark but when I game I shift my keyboard to the left and reaching for macros that I don't normally use is better done with a backlit keyboard.

Good to hear, I should be picking up the G11 tonight. Yea the most important part for me is backlit, some extra keys, and good feel. That is about it. The screen for game detail and computer details would be nice, but i have never needed it before, so meh.

Well, I certainly hope that you are happy with the G11. Please post back and let us know your opinions. I always like to hear opinions of other people for my own future reference.

 

[ElementalDragon]

.... why exactly are backlit keys necessary? Mid-day, the light in my room hardly lights up my keyboard (or my monitor backlight is bright enough that it makes everything else appear dark), and i game just fine. Not exactly sure what kind of macro's you're talking about... but if you mean simple keybinds for binding a weapon to a key, it's easy to do around the WASD keys, which is all i really ever do keyboard wise, and i bind whatever else i need bound to the not-so-necessary buttons on my mouse such as the back/forward buttons, and the quick search button (Logitech MX Revolution)

Hell, i think the LAST thing i'd want is another source of lighting to throw off everything else.

 

[rotjong]

.... why exactly are backlit keys necessary? Mid-day, the light in my room hardly lights up my keyboard (or my monitor backlight is bright enough that it makes everything else appear dark), and i game just fine. Not exactly sure what kind of macro's you're talking about... but if you mean simple keybinds for binding a weapon to a key, it's easy to do around the WASD keys, which is all i really ever do keyboard wise, and i bind whatever else i need bound to the not-so-necessary buttons on my mouse such as the back/forward buttons, and the quick search button (Logitech MX Revolution)

Hell, i think the LAST thing i'd want is another source of lighting to throw off everything else.

You can turn off the backlit keys when you want with the G15 and likely the G11. I like the backlit keys to see in the dark. I usually game in the dark at night. Games like F.E.A.R. and F.E.A.R. 2 are better played at night and in the dark than in the middle of the day. Generally, I am either in the dark or have a dim lightbulb in a lamp in the room where my computer is located. I dislike a bright room when at the computer.

I also never use WASD for movment in games. I shift my keyboard left and use the arrow keys after configuring the setup to do so. It's always worked well for me and I hate WASD usage. Unfortunately, some games simply won't allow re-configuring the movement keys. Dead Space was a perfect example of a game ported to the PC that won't let you change the movement keys. F.E.A.R. 2 also had its own issues since it is essentially a port but you can, at least change the key bindings for movement.

A backlit keyboard can be extremely useful and when you don't need it you can just turn off the lighting. For me, a backlist keyboard is essential. Sure the G15 cost more because of the backlit keys and the LCD. It was worth it for my use.

 

[LordOfLA]

I just leave the backlight on all the time. Sometimes I'll be playing a game and not notice it get dark so when I look down to type I can still see what I'm typing

 

[Not Bman]

I just got home from picking up my new keyboard. Man does it look nice. So far it feels amazing (though getting used to the placement of keys, each keyboard is always a bit different). I have not played with any settings yet. I plugged in the board, and windows 7 got all the drivers needed. Though I assume it didn't install all the extra stuff. So I go look at the disc that came with it, on it, it says Windows XP. Anyone got an idea for the G11 software and drivers, I'd assume Logitech's site should have it but I hate there site.

*edit, actually found the software for Vista on there site. I am impressed. Wicked stuff, the keyboard even knows my LOTRO game. WICKED!

Also, I was just on the Logitech website, why do they (and Razer) have Gaming Grade Wireless Mice, but not Keyboards.