Author Topic: Keyboard search/ build  (Read 4154 times)

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Offline jparks54

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Keyboard search/ build
« on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 18:53:15 »
Ok so im currently building a new system an am un sure on what keyboard to get. I have the corsair vengeance c70 case in military green and will have the corsair matching mouse. Now im looking for a keyboard.

What I am looking for in a keyboard is the ability to change key caps maybe switches and to be green back light. I would also like the case to be military green like my case and mouse but I wouldnt mind painting the case if I had too.

I require a full keyboard including number pad and would like to have a couple of programable keys.

Im new to mechanical keyboards and was hoping yall would help get me started.

Thanks for any help In advance :)

Offline riotonthebay

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 18:57:25 »
Sounds like the Ducky Shine 3 is right up your alley. Various backlight colors (including green), standard layout so it should be easy to find keycap sets, and the switches are just as replaceable as on other boards, assuming you're willing to do some de/soldering.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 19:05:48 »
I really like that one so far... whats the best way to find out what switch fits me best? Also with the ducky shine 3 can I make it light up two colors at once? Like say wasd one color and all the rest of the keys another?

Offline riotonthebay

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 19:10:54 »
I really like that one so far... whats the best way to find out what switch fits me best? Also with the ducky shine 3 can I make it light up two colors at once? Like say wasd one color and all the rest of the keys another?

You're going to have to do a bit of research on the lighting options. The regular shine 3s don't have multi-colored LEDs, but there may be an option to just light up the wasd cluster.

When it comes to switches, you could get a switch tester. Cooler Master sells them here. A lot of it is personal preference and there isn't much in the way of consensus, but a frequent opinion is: reds for gaming, blues for typing, browns as a compromise. But there are plenty of people who prefer to game on blues, and claim that reds are their favorite typing switch, so who knows?

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 19:14:36 »
Ya I started searching the shine 3 at first glance I thought it was multy than I read some. I guess ill have to pick up a switch tester before I chose

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 19:37:10 »
Ok so im thinking ill get the shine 3 in white than get color changers to make all the keys the specific color I want

Offline rowdy

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #6 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 19:58:37 »
Ok so im thinking ill get the shine 3 in white than get color changers to make all the keys the specific color I want

That's a good idea.

Although a switch tester will only give you a very vague impression of what it is like to actually type on a keyboard.  Really you need to try a keyboard for a few days to get the feel of it.

Ever wondered why some people have so many keyboards? ;)
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

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Offline riotonthebay

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 20:01:39 »
Ok so im thinking ill get the shine 3 in white than get color changers to make all the keys the specific color I want

That's a good idea.

Although a switch tester will only give you a very vague impression of what it is like to actually type on a keyboard.  Really you need to try a keyboard for a few days to get the feel of it.

Ever wondered why some people have so many keyboards? ;)

This is a good point, but I think that a vague impression would still be useful in many cases. You'll at least know that you hate the ****ing racket that blues and greens make, even if you won't appreciate the difference in spring weights. Or something like that ;).

Offline rowdy

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #8 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 20:04:27 »
Ok so im thinking ill get the shine 3 in white than get color changers to make all the keys the specific color I want

That's a good idea.

Although a switch tester will only give you a very vague impression of what it is like to actually type on a keyboard.  Really you need to try a keyboard for a few days to get the feel of it.

Ever wondered why some people have so many keyboards? ;)

This is a good point, but I think that a vague impression would still be useful in many cases. You'll at least know that you hate the ****ing racket that blues and greens make, even if you won't appreciate the difference in spring weights. Or something like that ;).

There's a lot more noise and variation using a full keyboard over a switch tester - bottoming out, plate, stabiliser noise, containing rattle of different keys across the keyboard, compared to just repeatedly pressing a single switch.
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline riotonthebay

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #9 on: Thu, 26 December 2013, 20:08:26 »
More
Ok so im thinking ill get the shine 3 in white than get color changers to make all the keys the specific color I want

That's a good idea.

Although a switch tester will only give you a very vague impression of what it is like to actually type on a keyboard.  Really you need to try a keyboard for a few days to get the feel of it.

Ever wondered why some people have so many keyboards? ;)

This is a good point, but I think that a vague impression would still be useful in many cases. You'll at least know that you hate the ****ing racket that blues and greens make, even if you won't appreciate the difference in spring weights. Or something like that ;).
There's a lot more noise and variation using a full keyboard over a switch tester - bottoming out, plate, stabiliser noise, containing rattle of different keys across the keyboard, compared to just repeatedly pressing a single switch.

Yep, you're definitely right, but I would've personally loved a tester before settling on browns for my first board, though.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #10 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:40:25 »
Well from what I see ill either want red clear or black I dont want an clicking every time I press something

Offline terran5992

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #11 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:48:02 »
Theres the filco multicam if you can live without backlit

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Offline rowdy

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #12 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:53:01 »
Well from what I see ill either want red clear or black I dont want an clicking every time I press something

Good luck finding a board with clears ;)

Although there might be some, but last I heard there was a shortage of clear switches, leading to a shortage of clear-based keyboards.

Reds are very light, blacks are quite stiff.  I have strong fingers and prefer blacks.
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline 1pq

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #13 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:59:28 »
Well from what I see ill either want red clear or black I dont want an clicking every time I press something

Good luck finding a board with clears ;)

Although there might be some, but last I heard there was a shortage of clear switches, leading to a shortage of clear-based keyboards.

Reds are very light, blacks are quite stiff.  I have strong fingers and prefer blacks.

Yeah the only board I've seen with clears lately is the FC660M. There's something pretty rewarding about modding your own keyboard, though, and I'm looking forward to installing some ergo clears on my filco :P
Good luck on your search, jparks.
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Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 02:30:50 »
Lol thanks.. sounds like red is for me I like the lighter because im so used to laptops... I love moding too but im still not very confident in my soldering skills so I just stick to smaller projects for now

Offline Oobly

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #15 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 04:44:40 »
Well from what I see ill either want red clear or black I dont want an clicking every time I press something

Any reason you're not considering Browns? IMHO, they're a great "first MX" experience. You can use them to evaluate if you want more tactile, less tactile, stronger springs, etc.. They work well typing and gaming, nothing they really suck at.

They have the same springs as Reds.
Buying more keycaps,
it really hacks my wallet,
but I must have them.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #16 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 07:56:54 »
yes browns are an option i just forgot to mention them... what exactly is Tactile Bump?

Offline riotonthebay

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #17 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 08:06:54 »
The tactile bump is a "bump" in the force curve right before activation of the switch. It's useful for fast typing and accuracy because it's easier to tell when the switch has been activated, so you can avoid bottoming out:



This is in contrast with a linear force curve like reds or blacks, which give no tactile indication that the switch has been activated:


Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #18 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 09:38:48 »
ok so brown is looking more along the lines of what im looking for

Offline ideus

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #19 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 10:14:32 »
ok so brown is looking more along the lines of what im looking for


You may also consider clears as an alternative. Similar to browns but with a stronger spring and a deeper bump.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #20 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 10:35:50 »
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2qWJe here is gonna be my pc build so this is what i want the keyboard to match.

i got to looking around and fount the cherry RGB switches and sense im building my pc as i get the money i was thinking i may just wait to see what corsair comes out with at CES.

clear would probably be the best choice for me but from what i understand they are scarce.

Offline ideus

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #21 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 10:40:23 »
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2qWJe here is gonna be my pc build so this is what i want the keyboard to match.

i got to looking around and fount the cherry RGB switches and sense im building my pc as i get the money i was thinking i may just wait to see what corsair comes out with at CES.

clear would probably be the best choice for me but from what i understand they are scarce.


That is a very cool machine.


Regarding clears their availability will be related with the board you want. They are available in certain Leopolds but they are not full size and their cases are just regular solid colors not camos.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #22 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 10:54:54 »
im ok with solid cases colors as id prefer to paint it to mach the pc case instead of it being camo but a full size key board is a must.

Offline ideus

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #23 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 11:00:53 »
im ok with solid cases colors as id prefer to paint it to mach the pc case instead of it being camo but a full size key board is a must.


In that case you may check this one and see if it may meet your needs.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #24 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 11:04:43 »
i think i like the ducky better...

has there been anything about the keyboards that are gonna be put out with the cherry RGB switches?

Offline ideus

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #25 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 11:06:30 »
Just be sure to post the final product of you new PC. It would be awesome to see it.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #26 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 11:34:52 »
i will i just wish i had the money to buy all the parts now instead of slowly building it. iv got a case and power supply so far and now im saving for the Motherboard lol.

how do yall think about the bright green parts and lights on the inside with the army green case will turn out?

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #27 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 11:42:44 »
and ill probobly build with just one gtx 770 maybe upgrade to two later if i feel i need it lol

Offline tp4tissue

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #28 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 12:02:03 »
and ill probobly build with just one gtx 770 maybe upgrade to two later if i feel i need it lol

imo the 780 vanilla(non ti) is the better deal..

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #29 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 12:26:20 »
im still not 100% on the the card ive gone from 660 to 770 whats another jump lol

Offline ideus

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #30 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 12:59:37 »
i will i just wish i had the money to buy all the parts now instead of slowly building it. iv got a case and power supply so far and now im saving for the Motherboard lol.

how do yall think about the bright green parts and lights on the inside with the army green case will turn out?


It's hard to say just trying to figuring it out, but It would certainly look like nothing else, or standard.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #31 on: Fri, 27 December 2013, 18:46:20 »
I think itll come out looking good at least I hope so lol

Offline xuanwumen

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #32 on: Sat, 28 December 2013, 01:17:29 »
Know that KEYCOOL has keyboards with mx clear switches. Has 84,87 versions
NIZ KEYBOARDS VENDOR

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #33 on: Sat, 28 December 2013, 01:39:25 »
Iv probobly have a month or two (or till I get my tax return) till ill end up getting a keyboard so maybe by than more will have the clears if not I think ill be plenty happy wih browns. Im still really leaning twords the ducky

Offline 1pq

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #34 on: Sat, 28 December 2013, 01:42:41 »
If I were you I'd wait until CES 2014. CM's going to have some ducky-style lighting modes, and most likely mx clear boards as well. Plus you get costar stabs, and probably a better price.
main kbs:  87UB (55g)  Custom Filco TKL (62g clears)

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Offline tp4tissue

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #35 on: Sat, 28 December 2013, 02:30:00 »
im still not 100% on the the card ive gone from 660 to 770 whats another jump lol


the 770 is the same as 680

the 780 is where all the new stuff is..

the R290x is more easily overclocked though, because ATI allows locking voltages to override throttling, which Nvidia doesn't allow.

Offline jparks54

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #36 on: Sat, 28 December 2013, 04:45:49 »
Ya after watching videos and benchmarks I think im gonna go with a single 780 thats all ill ever need

Offline ideus

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Re: Keyboard search/ build
« Reply #37 on: Sat, 28 December 2013, 08:08:49 »
This link to mechanical keyboards show a selection of boards with clears.