A good gaming keyboard for a dedicated gamer is similar to a warrior’s sword. It doesn’t have to be expensive for it to cut the mustard. You can enjoy the extra bells and whistles of accuracy, competitive gameplay, and high performance without breaking your bank.
While there are plenty of choices, once you know where to look, you should be able to know which one suits your specific gaming needs.
SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
The SteelSeries Apex 5 blends a taste of a money-saving, feature-rich keyboard with springy, snappy mechanical switches, and an electrical membrane design underneath. As a result, the blue-capped switches produce less noise, and you only have to press the keys halfway down to register a command.
At 17.5 x 5.5 inches, the Apex 5 is a pretty standard full-size keyboard with an excellent quality build – plastic bottom and an aluminum matte surface making it rigid, hence prone to wear and tear. The rigid wrist rest is nice, comfortable, and magnetic, and it’s easy to attach and detach. Additionally, it has only two extremely important extra dials. One is the clickable volume dial and the multimedia button.
Contrary to stacking up the keyboard space with over three media buttons, you can easily play, pause, and skip tracks with an Apex 4 Hybrid’s single multimedia button. This gaming keyboard has a small OLED screen where you personalize a little animated icon to differentiate multiple profiles on its upper right.
Most SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid features are a make of the SteelSeries Engine 3 Software. Unlike other comparable keyboards with rows of function keyboards, the Apex 5 lets you reprogram any key on the whole device.
Why we recommend:
- Strong and dynamic RGB illumination options
- Sleek design with OLED smart screen for easy customization
- Tactile hybrid mechanical game switches
Razer BlackWidow TE Chroma v2 TKL Tenkeyless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Mechanical switches are designed for industry-leading speed and accuracy irrespective of your game. As a result, the Razer BlackWidow’s Instant Trigger Technology (ITT) provides a fast performance such that every millisecond counts when trying to secure a winning edge over your opponent.
Over the years, Razer has improved the keyboard’s ergonomics for an optimized actuation and reset points for proper execution and fast responsiveness. You can always find BlackWidow TE Chroma designed to suit your gaming needs as it comes with different types of switches.
The Razer BlackWidow keyboard is decently textured with sturdy feet that lock into place once extended. While the keyboard’s detachable wrist rest has only one incline setting, it shouldn’t cause any fatigue on your fingers or wrists when using it for long periods.
Due to its tenkeyless design, the Razer BlackWidow keyboard is simple with a detachable Mini-USB cable making it suitable for traveling. Its yellow key switches provide a linear feeling such that you need minimal actuation force. These linear switches do not produce loud noises – they shouldn’t bother those around you. The keyboard is also available in Orange and Green. The Orange option is tactile and silent, while the green switch is tactile and clicky.
Why we recommend:
- Durable with a 2-year warranty
- Instant Trigger Technology
- Tournament-ready design
- Easily customizable RGB backlight for up to six different profiles
- Good ergonomics
Corsair K55 RGB PRO XT – Dynamic Per-Key RGB
Fit for an entry-level gamer with a strict budget, the Corsair K55 has ticked all the boxes. This XT model comes with per-key dynamic RGB backlighting and various lighting effects that you can easily customize. Its rubber dome switches and IP42 rating means that it’s protected against water splashes, dust, and spills, so your gameplay doesn’t stop. Further, you can easily program it with Elgato Stream Deck Software for instant macros streaming commands.
The per-key dynamic RGB Backlighting allows you to select from 10 onboard lighting effects. Additionally, you can activate functions, keypresses, or shortcuts using its six dedicated macro keys.
The Corsair K55 keyboard is wired and has a simplistic floating cap design. The volume and lighting controls of the keyboard are a glossy low-profile design adding to its overall aesthetic appearance. The rest of the keyboard features a matte black plastic.
While the keyboard is a membrane keyboard, it has a tactile bump and is quite quiet, which is an advantage if you’re not a big fan of the key chatter.
Its features at a glance include:
- Dedicated volume keyboards and media control keys
- ICUE Software
- Dedicated windows key lock button
- Anti-ghosting with selective Key Rollover
- Detachable palm rest
- Dust and spill-resistant design
- Flare per-key RGB Backlighting with six dedicated macro keys
Logitech G413 Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
If you’re looking for quality, then the sleek-designed Logitech G413 is the right gaming keyboard as its bladelike chassis is made of a brushed aluminum alloy finish. It features sensitive Romer-G mechanical switches that are highly responsive. You don’t have to press the keys down for the keystrokes to register.
The Romer-G is purpose-engineered for clear and clean lighting to enhance keys’ visibility through the keycap. The backlit keys make the Logitech G413 a perfect partner for late-night gaming. It’s a perfect blend of speed, precision, and quiet performance to get you ahead of the competition in your favorite game.
The Logitech G413 has an additional USB cable that connects the USB passthrough port to its input for an absolute power throughput and data speed. You can also use the port to plug in another device. Further, the FN media control keys are at your fingertips, allowing you to stay in the game while controlling your audio. You can easily play, pause, and mute the next song with a button click.
Lastly, the G413 has 12 faceted keycaps letting you upgrade vital gaming keys for your preferred game or character. You can quickly and easily sap them with the added key puller. The trigger game mode lets you deactivate keys that might distract you during your online play.
Why we recommend:
- Programmable macros
- Performance-tuned anti-ghosting
- Aircraft-grade aluminum alloy
HyperX Alloy Origins – Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
If you want to skip all the fuss and get down to gaming using a quality gaming keyboard, the HyperX Alloy Origin is worth considering. It’s a well-designed, pretty compact mechanical keyboard whose slim exterior is attractive and feels solid. This look gives its switches and keys a nice surface to reflect on, thus the attractive lighting effects.
The HyperX Alloy comes with a branded Red linear switch, Aqua tactile, or Blue Clicky switches. The tactile switches are light and easy to press with delightful clicks, lighter bump, and minimal force needed to register a command. It’s also available in HyperX Blue switches, whose sound is satisfying and doesn’t overpower the game’s audio. This makes the HyperX Alloy fast for a pure gaming experience.
For customization, adding effects, creating macros, or saving profiles on the keyboard’s memory, you’ll have to download HyperX’s NGenuity software. This software is pretty attractive and has ten different lighting effects. You can combine different key combinations to control the lighting. You get to decide whether to light the whole keyboard or individual keys.
Why we recommend:
- Three-level rear height adjustment
- Great RGB lighting
- Beautiful compact design
Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum RGB Wired Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
The Logitech G910 builds on the robustness of its predecessor, the G910 Orion Spark, while trimming off the fat. As a result, the G910 Orion Spectrum is a slightly scaled-back, fine-tuned, and streamlined version of the former. While they may seem a little identical, the G910 Orion Spectrum has a slightly concave key cap design that enhances your gaming experience better. Also, the Spectrum’s wrist rest is straight and smooth with less fanciness, making it lighter than the Spark.
The G910 Orion Spectrum has Logitech’s exclusive Romer-G mechanical switches designed to give you tactile, incredible responsiveness, and less noise for a smooth experience. You’ll have an edge in battles where every millisecond counts. It’s faster than its competitors with standard mechanical switches. Its intelligent RGB illumination with many lighting options lets you customize keys using colors to keep track of spells and game commands.
Spectrum’s nine customizable G-keys can be personalized to create commands per profile. They’re positioned in a convenient location for optimal speed and accessibility. Lastly, the dedicated media controls allow you to take control of your music and videos as you can play, pause, mute, and adjust to your preference. Use the onboard roller bar to adjust the volume or touch a button to skip to the best scenes.
Why we recommend:
- Intelligent RGB illumination
- Fast, durable gaming technology
- Integrated ARX control
Redragon K556 RGB LED Backlit Wired Mechanical
The Redragon K566 RGB LED Backlit mechanical gaming keyboard isn’t your average gaming keyboard. It boasts high-end Brown Switches with mechanical ultra-last springs that offer a satisfactorily tactile typing experience. The keyboard is slightly quieter, making it perfect for gaming with additional eight spare switches that you can use for replacement when needed.
It features 100% Anti-ghosting with 104 standard keys, has all non-conflict keys, and has 12 multimedia keys with adjustable input speeds. Also, it features an ergonomic and waterproof design since it’s made using a heavy-duty metallic material with a matte finish. This stunning design makes the keyboard sturdy and robust enough to protect the Redragon K566 from splash or scratch.
Its extreme durability of 50 million keystrokes guarantees players of long-term reliability and fewer replacement expenses that would otherwise ramp up the costs associated with repairs. This gaming keyboard also has crisp and bright Red LED RGB adjustable pulsing rate lighting that you can choose from the six themed backlights, 12 backlight models, and nine single backlit models. The backlighting has 16 million personalization color selections. Finally, it’s loaded with other key features, including a gold-plated USB connector, ABS construction, double-shot injection molded keycaps, interchangeable arrow keys, and WASD keys.
The Redragon K566 RGB LED backlight gaming keyboard is one tough mechanical keyboard and here’s why we recommend it:
- Ergonomic and durable design
- Custom-designed, removable keycaps
- Wide compatibility
You don’t have to break your bank or compromise your preferred features and performance to get a good gaming keyboard. Every pick of the best gaming keyboard under $100 in this list is well suited for any game genre you’d wish to play. In general, they’re great gaming keyboards with awesome features.