Corsair K65 RGB or...... ????

[showtime]

Hi,

I've been researching a new kb for a week or so.  Normally I figure out all purchases from researching, but there are so many options, and I only recently got into mechanical keyboards, that I thought I'd ask your advice.   

I checked out various Corsair, Ducky, Filco, and CM branded kb's.  I thought that CM offered the most bang for the buck and was going to buy one of the rapid series, but wanted some programmable key options for gaming.  Seems like there is only one kb made with everything on the list.  I'm mostly debating if it's worth getting the k65 or a different kb with maybe less features.   Or if there's a different better option since $150 seems a bit steep for this kb.  Lightshow and programmable keys basically double the price of a basic tkl kb.   

I am looking for the following.  I can wait for sales, but would like 1 or 2 options to make it easier. 

Decent quality
Black or Red Switches
Backlit (simple is fine)
Programmable/Macros
TKL

Thx!

 

[Adriel]

As far I can see there are no TKL boards with Macro keys. If you want either one, a good TKL board with backlighting and good quality would be the Ducky Shine 3. If you want the small form factor but also want programmability I would look at the Poker II, but I'm not sure what game you are playing and you might need arrow keys. The only Full-sized keyboard with macros I can remember are the Blackwidow, CM Storm Mech and the Corsair K65. May I also know what games you are playing that you need the macros so much? I normally have a keyboard without macro and keep the macros on my mouse.

[tbc]

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=114&cp_id=11401&cs_id=1140102&p_id=10579&seq=1&format=2

this is probly the best you're going to get

[Oobly]

Ducky Shine TKL or CMStorm Rapid-i & AutoHotKey.

They're both good boards with a good track record and reputation. I don't see the need for macro keys since most games allow to remap keys anyway, but there's AHK if you need this functionality.

That Monoprice board is intriguing, since it has standard layout and some nice features, but read through all the reviews first if you really are interested in it. Personally, I would much rather get a Ducky.

[pichu23]

Ducky Shine TKL or CMStorm Rapid-i & AutoHotKey.

They're both good boards with a good track record and reputation. I don't see the need for macro keys since most games allow to remap keys anyway, but there's AHK if you need this functionality.

That Monoprice board is intriguing, since it has standard layout and some nice features, but read through all the reviews first if you really are interested in it. Personally, I would much rather get a Ducky.

+1 for the Ducky.
If you really want the RGB then go for the Corsair but other than that feature I can't see anything else that would make me want to get a Corsair.

[JohnKree]

The Roccat Ryos TKL Pro has no dedicated Macro keys but one of the best macro functions on the market.

You can set macros on every key on the keyboard and with Easyshift you can even give every key a second function. The capslock key is used to switch between the functions.

The only downside is its quite clunky design... Not everyone likes to have a "gaming" keyboard in front of his or her Screen.
But take a look:
http://www.gamezone.com/news/roccat-ryos-tkl-pro-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-in-stores-now

I have a similar problem:
I can't decide between the Ducky Shine 3 slim and the Roccat TKL pro...

[Oobly]

The Roccat Ryos TKL Pro has no dedicated Macro keys but one of the best macro functions on the market.

You can set macros on every key on the keyboard and with Easyshift you can even give every key a second function. The capslock key is used to switch between the functions.

The only downside is its quite clunky design... Not everyone likes to have a "gaming" keyboard in front of his or her Screen.
But take a look:
http://www.gamezone.com/news/roccat-ryos-tkl-pro-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-in-stores-now

I have a similar problem:
I can't decide between the Ducky Shine 3 slim and the Roccat TKL pro...

The Roccat and Corsair both have non-standard bottom rows, so you're not going to be able to replace the keycaps, which is a big reason for getting a Cherry MX board, IMHO.

[JohnKree]

Yes you are right but you won't find a lot of keyboards that feature macros and have the standard MX layout.

I just know of CM boards but they don't have a good software so... every choice has it's downside. Skipping the possibility of exchanging keycaps for having nice macro features is a hard choice.

[_PixelNinja]

In the long run, I would favor key compatibility over macros and software. Not to mention if ever you want to resell the keyboard on day, the former helps.

[JohnKree]

If you are a hardcore gamer (I'm not) then macros might be more worth than resellability.

[tbc]

In the long run, I would favor key compatibility over macros and software. Not to mention if ever you want to resell the keyboard on day, the former helps.

it's not like gh is the only place that buys keyboards.  casual users buy used gamng boards as well.

[showtime]

Thanks very much for the input so far.  I spent a few minutes researching every kb you mentioned.

The monoprice kb looks nice, but I worry about the quality of the keyboard.  I think my fascination with CM kb's is because of the quality at it's price point. 
 
I previously looked a the larger Roccat and liked the functions etc.  But from all the images, it looks kinda cheap to me.  I gotta get past the thundercats symbol lol.  The smaller one is intriguing and I have to add it to my short list.  Not a lot of reviews but I'll use the bigger one as a base and add the light show from the ces show I found.  Does anyone have one?  I believe its around $130 US so it's right with the rapid-i and k65 rgb when sales start. 

The Ducky Shine 3 TKL is that the same as the slim? 
http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=538
I like this kb obviously, but I think I'd take the rapid i since it's the same price. 

I feel like there's getting to be more competition.  Does anyone know of any other kb on the horizon that will pack all or most of the features.  By now they know that people will buy a 2nd kb just for mobility if it packs every feature on my list. 

It has to be red or black since it will be my gaming kb.  I might buy another for typing, but I want to test several different kb's before opening that can...

I prefer tkl because I am moving my gaming components from a big stationary corsair 650d into a much smaller og bitfenix prodigy.  Both monitors and the case will be moving it around a bit in an old wheeled tv tray.  I really disliked the size of my old logitech gxxx or I would have grabbed the big corsair and been done with it already. 

Backlit due to hours and at times I watch movies and game in the dark.  It's not mandatory, but I know I'll miss it at times. 

Flip flopping on macros.  From what I read, the CM sw is crap and the Roccat and Corsair is much better.  But I can live without it.  I just figured if getting a kb primarily for gaming and entertainment, I should look for all the possible options.  I'm going to see how the g700s feels wired.  That should cover most of my macro needs.  Let's just cross that off as a non factor (for now). 

Ducky Shine 3 tkl - Good build, but maybe slightly less kb than the cm for same price?

Rapid-i - Build and features are good.  Paying extra for light show.

k65 rgb - Paying a little bit more for good macros and light show.  Maybe not as well built as the 1st two.

Roccat tkl pro - Full featured like the k65.  Not sure about quality or availability. 

If qc wasn't an issue, I would have ordered the monoprice this morning. 

Thanks very much for all your help and info.  If there's any other kb $130ish US, please lmk.  Unless I can find a roccat to play with locally (los angeles), it looks like I'll be picking between the cm and the corsair since I can physically test both at bestbuy. 

Will post what I decide in near future.  Might be today or in the next couple weeks.  New case is coming this week.  Will take a couple days to mod it to fit matx mobo in the mini itx tray.  But that's another story lol. 

[JohnKree]

Maybe you can read a review of the Roccat TKL anytime soon, if I decide to get it. Or should I take the Ducky? Arrrg.... 

There are lots of German reviews of the Roccat one, praising its features and its software and its nice beautiful light effects. You're right, the downside is its look...


According the Rapid-i:
Please take into consideration that the micro-USB plugin of the Rapid-i isn't as good as the Ducky solution... if something pulls on the cable there will be direct force to the micro-USB connector.
Considering that the design of mini-USB itself isn't the most durable you will have problems if you move your board often.

Look at Cherry MX 3.0 boards, there are tons of bad reviews on forums, reddit and Amazon critizing that the micro-USB got faulty because of that.

[_PixelNinja]

According the Rapid-i:
Please take into consideration that the mini-USB plugin of the Rapid-i isn't as good as the Ducky solution... if something pulls on the cable there will be direct force to the mini-USB connector.
Considering that the design of mini-USB itself isn't the most durable you will have problems if you move your board often.

The CM Storm Rapid-i connector is Micro-USB, not Mini-USB.

[showtime]

Dammit I forgot the stupid Rapid-i had no channel for the usb like some of the other detachable kb's. 

I think I'm going to end up grabbing that K65 or ducky is back in the running.  CM is off my list because I know that plug will get pulled every so often and eventually not work well.  Not happy about this and I was checking on the red switch availability.  CM can work on that and maybe some better macros lol.   

Thx for reminding me. 

[JohnKree]

According the Rapid-i:
Please take into consideration that the mini-USB plugin of the Rapid-i isn't as good as the Ducky solution... if something pulls on the cable there will be direct force to the mini-USB connector.
Considering that the design of mini-USB itself isn't the most durable you will have problems if you move your board often.

The CM Storm Rapid-i connector is Micro-USB, not Mini-USB.

Sorry, I meant microUSB, not mini... Will change it.

Dammit I forgot the stupid Rapid-i had no channel for the usb like some of the other detachable kb's. 

I think I'm going to end up grabbing that K65 or ducky is back in the running.  CM is off my list because I know that plug will get pulled every so often and eventually not work well.  Not happy about this and I was checking on the red switch availability.  CM can work on that and maybe some better macros lol.   

Thx for reminding me.

Yupp, that's pretty much the reason I decided not to buy one...

According to the Corsair:
There are literally tons of messages about faulty LEDs everywhere from Reddit to known Tech boards and even the Corsair forum itself... They seem to have fixed the problem now but there are no official messages about it to be found, so......They aren't long in the market and there will be some flaws coming with that fact. A nogo for me.

Ducky on the other hand is a mecha-kb pioneer. They know what they do.
Roccat is a specialist for gaming kb and mice and well known for producing highend gaming hardware. They didn't change the design of the keyboard for years now, so they are "old players", too.
And, according to gaming, call it marketing or not, they have some of the best Starcraft II players in their team.

[Oobly]

I prefer the CMStorm Rapid-i MicroUSB to the Ducky MiniUSB for two reasons.

1. The Ducky has a really awkward position for the plug which forces you to bend it as you insert it. This can lead to failure of the MiniUSB connector.
2. MicroUSB is certified for more insertions / removals than Mini. There's a reason phone manufacturers have switched to it and it's not primarily the size.

That said, I think they're both great options. I wouldn't bother with any of the manufacturer's software packages, keyboards really don't need all that gumph, unless they have special functions or programmable macro keys. AHK can do the job without the extra software (which is usually really badly written and buggy, too).

[_PixelNinja]

MicroUSB is certified for more insertions / removals than Mini. There's a reason phone manufacturers have switched to it and it's not primarily the size.

To add to that, Micro-USB is designed so that the male connector takes the mechanical wear instead of the female plug, as opposed to Mini-USB. So instead of going through tedious reparations, you should only have to replace the cable.

[tbc]

I prefer the CMStorm Rapid-i MicroUSB to the Ducky MiniUSB for two reasons.

1. The Ducky has a really awkward position for the plug which forces you to bend it as you insert it. This can lead to failure of the MiniUSB connector.
2. MicroUSB is certified for more insertions / removals than Mini. There's a reason phone manufacturers have switched to it and it's not primarily the size.

That said, I think they're both great options. I wouldn't bother with any of the manufacturer's software packages, keyboards really don't need all that gumph, unless they have special functions or programmable macro keys. AHK can do the job without the extra software (which is usually really badly written and buggy, too).

this.

except the part about the macro software.

ahk is a really fast typer. a 10 letter word is 10 keypresses.
keyboard software (logitech at least) outputs 10 characters as a single keypress.

why does this matter? because i ctrlz 10 times to undo ahk macros, but only once for the logitech one.

when you ant to type and macro fast, ahk sucks

[JohnKree]

Modern Gaming keyboards have ARM processors (the roccat has 2) which execute the macros. Not the software does it but the keyboard itself.
The software is just used for recording them to the internal flash memory.

So for gaming reasons a hardware solution is always better than a software one because it's just faster and more reliable.

[showtime]

Is it the same kb I've read about.  Some have a snake on spacebar.   Not sure about the company selling it, but they are local and offer pickup. I think this is a pretty good deal $110 or so shipped. 

http://www.ncixus.com/products/index.php?sku=90664&promoid=1353

[aref]

I've two Corsair K65 keyboards. I've owned Filco M2s and CMQFRs. The K65, MX Red only, is the best performing of the three mentioned. My KBs of preference are my Realforce 87UW and 87UB, both with 55-gram key switches. However, the K65 is quiet compared to both Filco and CMQFR KBs. No echoing, it has a solid feel, and neither has ever given me a problem.

The only issue are some nonstandard key caps; but the all the number/letter/special characters' key caps are standard. I had a set of WASD key caps on one of mine; but I preferred the contour and feel of the stock caps. There are no programmable keys, if this is a criterion for you.

[showtime]

Ok I ended up grabbing that Ducky 9087 Shine 3.  I assumed it was a ducky shine 2, but I'm not sure.  The numbers are confusing.  Not much difference between the 2 and 3 right?  It's not a zero is it?  Old stock.. lol. 

Either way I got a good price and decided to try it out since the exact kb I want is not made... yet. 

Tyvm for all the input and help. Gonna research keycaps next. 

Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 MX Red Switch Green RGB LED 87KEYS Mechanical Keyboard http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=90664&promoid=1269#sthash.Ludt4LX9.dpuf

Btw couldn't get into this site yeseterday.  Was it down or something?

[pichu23]

Ok I ended up grabbing that Ducky 9087 Shine 3.  I assumed it was a ducky shine 2, but I'm not sure.  The numbers are confusing.  Not much difference between the 2 and 3 right?  It's not a zero is it?  Old stock.. lol. 

Either way I got a good price and decided to try it out since the exact kb I want is not made... yet. 

Tyvm for all the input and help. Gonna research keycaps next. 

Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 MX Red Switch Green RGB LED 87KEYS Mechanical Keyboard http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=90664&promoid=1269#sthash.Ludt4LX9.dpuf

Btw couldn't get into this site yeseterday.  Was it down or something?

Think Shine 3 has many more LEDs functionality compared to the 2. I have the 2
Build quality wise, 3 should be much better not saying 2 is bad in any way.

[JohnKree]

Ok I ended up grabbing that Ducky 9087 Shine 3.  I assumed it was a ducky shine 2, but I'm not sure.  The numbers are confusing.  Not much difference between the 2 and 3 right?  It's not a zero is it?  Old stock.. lol. 

Either way I got a good price and decided to try it out since the exact kb I want is not made... yet. 

Tyvm for all the input and help. Gonna research keycaps next. 

Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 MX Red Switch Green RGB LED 87KEYS Mechanical Keyboard http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=90664&promoid=1269#sthash.Ludt4LX9.dpuf

Btw couldn't get into this site yeseterday.  Was it down or something?

Congrats to your decision, tell me what you think about it when you have it. I still can't decide between the Roccat and the Ducky one.  )

[shut up]

Ok I ended up grabbing that Ducky 9087 Shine 3.  I assumed it was a ducky shine 2, but I'm not sure.  The numbers are confusing.  Not much difference between the 2 and 3 right?  It's not a zero is it?  Old stock.. lol. 

Either way I got a good price and decided to try it out since the exact kb I want is not made... yet. 

Tyvm for all the input and help. Gonna research keycaps next. 

Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 MX Red Switch Green RGB LED 87KEYS Mechanical Keyboard http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=90664&promoid=1269#sthash.Ludt4LX9.dpuf

You're not alone, I couldn't get in yesterday. Good idea about the Ducky though, Hope it works well!

Btw couldn't get into this site yeseterday.  Was it down or something?

Congrats to your decision, tell me what you think about it when you have it. I still can't decide between the Roccat and the Ducky one.  )

[showtime]

Well here it is.  I'm pretty sure I would have been happy with that corsair or the cm, but this Ducky is really seems to shine so far. Turns out to be a Shine 3. Testing it out with my laptop this weekend since I'll be away. 

Thanks for all the info and help.  Will be in looking at one for typing next.  Maybe Brown, or Blue or Topre or...  lol