Gaming is your passion. While not exactly a hardcore gamer, you spend several hours a day glued to your console. A keyboard expert, you're always striving for higher scores. But do you have the right tool to excel in every game?
Whether you're a casual or hardcore gamer, acquiring a high-performance keyboard suited to video games is essential. Between membrane and mechanical keyboards, which should you choose? Let's explore their features, advantages, and disadvantages.
The membrane keyboard: the ideal tool for office work
The membrane keyboard, also called a classic, ordinary, or standard keyboard, is the most common. It is perfectly suited for people wanting to perform basic office tasks, such as word processing.
What is its composition?
It is a keyboard made of metal or plastic, consisting of a multi-layered membrane:
- a top layer consisting of a printed circuit board,
- a layer with holes at the locations of the keys
- a lower layer consisting of a printed circuit board.
This membrane is covered with a plate of rubber domes corresponding to the locations of the numeric keypad keys.
When you press a key, this pressure activates the dome, which descends, making contact with the circuit board. The key press information is sent to the processor, which then displays the selected character on your screen.
Membrane keyboards: their advantages.
Do you want a small, compact, lightweight, quiet keyboard at an affordable price? A membrane keyboard is the one for you.
- Its design and composition of simple materials make it cheaper to produce. Thus, it is distributed on the market at a generally reasonable price.
- Because it contains few moving parts and is assembled from soft materials that help to dampen most of the noise, it is appreciated when working in a space where silence is required.
- Its size and density also make it easy to transport. Ideal when you have limited desk space.
The membrane keyboard: its disadvantages
- First, let's mention its lack of tactile responsiveness. Indeed, the membrane keyboard doesn't have a spring action that allows the key to spring back instantly. This slightly reduced typing response results in a slower typing speed compared to a mechanical keyboard.
- Another major drawback is its lifespan. Its durability is estimated at 5 million strikes.
- Since the keys are not separate moving parts, cleaning can be difficult.
The mechanical keyboard: the ultimate gaming keyboard?
One might think that the mechanical keyboard was created for the video game market. However, it has existed since the 1980s. A large keyboard with big keys, used in computer science classes in high school. Sound familiar? It was a flagship product of IBM. It was appreciated for its robustness, precision, and ease of use. Over time, the mechanical keyboard has evolved. It has retained the attributes that made it popular, but it has also acquired many other features to appeal to gamers.
What is special about this keyboard?
What differentiates it from a membrane keyboard are the switches. These small spring-loaded switches are located under each key. Pressing a key compresses the spring, activating the switch and instantly displaying the corresponding character on the screen.
The keyboard is composed of three parts:
- the visible numeric keypad,
- the switch located under the keycap,
- the keyboard casing.
There are two popular types of mechanical keyboards: those with linear switches and those with tactile switches. What differentiates them? Sensitivity.
Linear switches are subjected only to spring resistance, ideal for fast response times.
Tactile switches have a two-stage travel: soft, then stiffened during operation. The user feels the key activation under pressure.
Other keyboards are equipped with clicky switches. The key emits a click when the command is activated.
Note that the most widespread brand of switches is that of the German manufacturer Cherry.
Good to know : With a mechanical keyboard, you can change the keycaps! See our article " How to change the keycaps on a mechanical keyboard? "
The ultimate in technology: anti-ghosting (ghosting)
Some keyboards have a valuable feature for gaming: anti-ghosting.
Ghosting occurs when one or more keystrokes are "lost" due to the keyboard's inability to process simultaneous signals. This means your keyboard doesn't respond, or responds incorrectly, to a combination of keys. This is particularly annoying when, during a game, you need to move forward; taking a step to the left while sprinting requires three keystrokes. Adding a weapon switch requires another keystroke, for a total of four. Some keyboards don't support that many keystrokes. Or, sometimes an extra key is triggered even though it hasn't been pressed. So, you're limited by your hardware.
A keyboard equipped with anti-ghosting technology and N-key rollover capability ensures that multiple keys can be pressed simultaneously without errors in interpreting activated keys. The higher the NKRO rating, the more simultaneous key presses the keyboard can register.
We invite you to take a look at a review of the best mechanical keyboards
The mechanical keyboard: its advantages.
This PC keyboard has plenty of features that will delight gaming enthusiasts.
- The responsiveness provided by the switches is undeniable. It's faster, the controls are smooth, and it's precise. These are valuable features for avoiding mistakes during a game.
- It is durable and robust. The service life of a switch can extend up to 80 million keystrokes.
- Customizing the keyboard with an LED backlighting option is undeniably stylish. This alternative adds a touch of elegance.
- This is an ergonomic keyboard, as comfort is key to good responsiveness. A wrist rest for extended use is a bonus. From a practical standpoint, you can choose between a wireless or wired keyboard. Beforehand, check that the wireless feature doesn't hinder smooth operation.
- Because the keycaps are removable, the cleaning task is made easier.
The mechanical keyboard: its disadvantages
- The switches make the keyboard noisy.
- Mechanical keyboards, even low-end ones, are not cheap.
- While the wrist rest is a nice touch, this keyboard is admittedly heavy and large. It will therefore require more space on a table.
What criteria should be prioritized when purchasing a keyboard?
The selection criteria will obviously be:
- responsiveness, or the choice of switches,
- robustness depends on the quality of the materials used in its composition
- ease of use and practicality,
- the design.
In conclusion, the mechanical keyboard is the perfect companion for gamers aiming for peak performance. Good game/good job!
