Yall got any keyboards that is good for fast typing, intense gaming and programming?
I don’t have any boards specifically reserved for this type of use, but medium weight tactile switches work well for me in these situations.
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Also, I’d actually put typing and programming in the same boat here. I could see lighter Hall Effect or MX linear switches being better choices for intense gaming.
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As someone with a large collection of keyboards and even larger collection of switches, I do sometimes think about what setup I’d use if I could only use one, for everything.
This is a reflection of my own preferences of course:
Board:
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65% - 75% form factor; for me, 68 keys is the sweet spot between saving space and having everything I need. For an every-board, we need portability and versatility. Having a smaller board also makes case material matter less for portability; it can be heavy for its size without being hard to carry around.
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Tri-mode; if the board has to do it all for me, it’s got to be tri-mode. That means it has a wired connection, a wireless dongle connection, and bluetooth. In turn that means it can connect to a wide range of devices and swap between them on the fly. Ideally, the board will have a place to stow the wireless dongle when not in use. Most of these can connect to at least 5 devices; one for each USB mode and 3 for the Bluetooth mode. I’m using the latter right now to write this comment on my travel keyboard from my phone.
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Isolation mount; if I’m going to be typing on it, I want it to feel nice. Any mounting style that keeps it off of direct support from standoffs will do - and these days some of the cheapest keyboards pull it off just fine. A potential asterisk here would be if your “intense gaming” means hitting the keys extra hard; a compromise of burger-mounting (dampening on standoffs) might be best there.
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Inexpensive but solid; if it’s my only keeb it needs to last, but it also shouldn’t be too precious because I’ll be using it all the time. Bonus points if there’s ongoing support in the form of replacement parts being available.
Examples:
- Neo65
- AL66 / SK66
- AL71 / SK71
- Halo 65 V2 / 75 V2 (V1s if you wanna key mash)
- There are tons of these out there
Switches:
What switch(es) can fill the jack-of-all-trades role for you will depend on the scope of roles they need to fill - for example, do any of those roles need to take noise level into account? Here are a few candidates:
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Akko POM Brown; this is a good little-bit-of-everything switch, at least in some ways. It isn’t loud, it isn’t heavy, it isn’t intrusive - but it does have just enough tactile feedback to clearly confirm actuation. That feedback is light enough not to hinder fast gaming, and the shorter travel can even be helpful. There are a handful of quality switches in the light tactile style, this is just the one I’m most familiar with. This is the route I’d go for the most balanced experience.
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TTC Silent Bluish White; my personal every-switch, and probably the one I recommend most - this is a medium tactile with moderately-firm dampening. That means it’s pretty quiet compared to regular tactiles, but also less mushy than many other dampened switches. They are quiet enough for the office, but still make a satisfying, muted “thud” sound. I find them just fine for gaming, but I keep it pretty casual - they might have a little too strong of a bump for rapid gaming; this is the route I’d go for an every-board that leans towards typing. Alternatives with the same dampening but less bump include the Silent Brown V2 and Peanut Latte, and for no bump at all you might try the Silent Red or Frozen Silent.
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Kailh Silent Whale; similar to the SIlent Bluish White, the Wales, Whale-falls, Whale Islets - silent medium tactiles by Kailh - are great for a little bit of everything but maybe not perfect for gaming for all the same reasons. IIRC they cost a bit more than the TTCs, but have the added benefit of being a little more resistant to MTN DEW than the other switches on this list. (IP56 dust and water resistant)
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Gateron Smoothie Silver; two standards combined: the classic gaming-focused linear and the lazy-enthusiast pre-lubed linear. This short-travel, fast-actuating switch is competently (if imperfectly) lubed from the factory and made of POM - just like the Brown up there - except it isn’t tactile. These are pretty comparable in volume to the Browns; faintly clacky. Quiet compared to a generic clone linear, but more loud and sharp than dampened switches like the Silent Bluish Whites. This one is the pick if your every-board spends more time gaming than the rest, or if you just prefer the feel of linears.
Caps:
Variety is the spice of life for me, but if I could only have one set of caps, I think it would pretty much have to be Cherry Profile, and preferably dye-sub PBT. I actually prefer double-shot ABS most of the time, but if I need something that is both extra-durable and non-precious, dye-sub PBT is it. (A good ABS set won’t really wear out - but it absolutely will shine unevenly if you use it enough.) If I can only have one keycap set that I use all the time, I’m gonna go with single-shot PBT because the multi-shot ones are often blends and it’s hard to tell.
So far, my favorite sets in this category are NovelKeys’ PBT Cherry sets. I’m not sure if they’re still producing them, but I believe they still have a bunch in the clearance section. I hear Omnitype’s are quite good, too. IIRC JC Studio makes really solid beige ones. There are lots of good options here, those are just the ones I’m familiar with.
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I just got a Neson 810e, using Gateron Mini switches which are light tactile (50g) long pole, using DCX Solarized Dark key caps. Gateron’s own website defines the Mini switches as great for gaming and typing. It had been a number of weeks since my last speed typing record… in 24 hours with this new kit I set my speed record… twice!
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