N-Key Rollover, anti-ghosting, macros, mechanical switches... If you're new to the world of gaming keyboards, keyboard price in Pakistan, it's easy to get confused. Fortunately, we've listed the most important features and discussed why they're important to you.
Time to Get Serious
The keyboard that came with your computer may be good enough for emailing and experimenting, but if you're serious about your game, you need the right tools. Teams like Evil Geniuses don't compete with keyboards from Dell or Lenovo for a reason. Gaming keyboards for gamers are built for high performance and reliability, even after years of heavy use (and abuse).
Is it worth it?
So what makes a gaming keyboard so special? Flashing lights and hyperfuturistic design? Although the keyboard stands out because of these qualities, your experience isn't significantly enhanced. Instead, let's focus on the features that directly affect your day-to-day gaming experience.
- Key Relay (aka Anti-Ghosting)
- Keys
- build quality
- Macros and customization
- Price
Key replacement and ghost protection
Simply put, Key Refresh measures how many simultaneous keystrokes your keyboard can register.
Most standard keyboards offer one or two key changes (1/2KRO). Press multiple keys and extra keystrokes won't register or your keyboard will register extra keys that haven't been pressed. This is a problem known as "ghosting".
High quality gaming keyboards come with at least 6 keystrokes to avoid ghosting. The 6KRO offers enough rollover for fast typists and most gamers. N-Key Rollover (NKRO) keyboards are certain to record every input when you require a level of performance that is competitive.
Switch Types
Below each key is a physical key that registers a keystroke. Consider the two most common types of switches: membrane and mechanical.
| Membrane | Mechanical | |
| Usual Price Range | $30-$100 | $80-$200 |
| Lifespan | 1-5 Million Keystrokes | 50+ Million Keystrokes |
| Popular Switches* | Rubber Dome | Red, Blue, Black, Brown |
| Keypress Feel | Linear or Soft Bump | Linear (smooth, no bump) to Tacticle (clicky "bump") |
| Keypress Sound | Nearly Silent | Soft to Very Loud |
Mechanical switches are durable and offer more options, but these options cost more. Mechanical switches are also (on average) much noisier than membrane switches - use membrane switches or choose the right type of mechanical switch if you don't want to wake everyone in the house.
Build Quality
Players are not the nicest of creatures. Sure, your current keyboard can handle the light touch needed to share a meme, but the fast pace of the game leads to frantic keystrokes (and the inevitable anger that can result).
You need a durable keyboard.Fortunately, durability is considered when designing gaming keyboards. Most high-end keyboards have metal back plates that bend and eliminate the risk of warping/breaking. Metal or rugged plastic enclosures cover the keyboard components, supporting and protecting the switches and circuitry inside. These high-quality plastics are oil resistant and designed to last as long as your keyboard.
Of the standard keyboards, PVC plastic is the most commonly used (yes, like a pipe). PVC is cheap, but it wears and breaks quickly. Fortunately, gaming keyboards almost always offer a more reliable solution. Plastics like ABS are much more durable, resistant to natural oils and able to withstand repeated keystrokes. ABS or metal are required for the best results.
Macros and Software Customization
With gaming keyboards, you may change each key's function. You can use the included software to record the entire sequence of keystrokes and mouse clicks. This is helpful for quickly activating several skills or abilities. Even some gaming keyboards have extra unassigned keys that are just used for macros.
For example, you can connect a macro key to launch Steam or Discord, activate an incredibly complex combination during a reload, or load a specific game profile with all your favorite presets.
Backlight
Nearly all gaming keyboards come with backlighting as standard, ranging from single color to full RGB (16.8 million color options). Monochrome backlit keyboards have the ability to adjust the brightness, but nothing else. It supports dedicated key color customization, full per-key RGB illumination, and effects (such as breathing, waves, color change, etc.).
There is no denying that all hardware looks much more impressive when the lighting is synchronized across all devices. If your PC case and mouse glow blue and your desktop background is blue, you need a blue keyboard. If you like the idea of mixing, an RGB keyboard is the way to go.
A full collection of light-up accessories will make your setup visually stunning, while backlighting can enhance your gaming experience. Some apps, such as GameSense, developed by SteelSeries Engine, can enable reactive lighting in games such as DotA 2 and CS:GO. If you're someone who likes to switch between kills, set your keyboard to change color when the respawn timer goes off. Is it bad to keep track of waiting times? Yes, you can set up temporary light alerts that will be tracked for you.
Check out tips 4, 5, and 6 in the Casual DotA 2 Guide for more creative ways to use GameSense alerts.
Price
Last, and perhaps most important, is the price. Keyboard prices can range from $30 to $200. While it's often said that you get what you pay for, don't be fooled by flashy marketing. A $100 keyboard can work just as well as one costing twice as much. Even though $100 may seem expensive for a gaming keyboard, you are actually purchasing high-end, high-performing equipment that will serve you for many years and different keyboards types and keyboards price in Pakistan.
Decision Time
It's crucial to strike a balance between the qualities you value most and the price. You can begin limiting your alternatives once you've established your budget.
If you're looking for the best value for your money, look for reliability and performance like ABS or metal construction, switches with 6 buttons (or more) for anti-ghosting, and switches rated for more than 10 million keystrokes. Features like the backlight and macro keys are nice, but don't sacrifice performance.
If you want to invest in a quality hardware upgrade for the long haul, settle for less than ABS or metal construction, N-Key Rollover, switches rated for over 50 million keystrokes, RGB lighting per key. , dedicated macro keys and configuration software included.
Now for the fun part: choosing a keyboard! Whatever you choose, know that a good gaming keyboard will serve you for years to come.
