Gaming is your passion.
Without being Nolife, you geek out several hours a day in front of the console. A keyboard strumming expert, you're always trying to get better scores. However, do you have the right tool to excel during each game? Whether you are Casual or Hardcore Gamer, acquiring a high-performance keyboard suitable for video games is essential. Between the membrane or mechanical keyboard, which should you choose? Let's take a look at their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.
The membrane keyboard: the ideal tool for office automation
The membrane keyboard, also called classic, ordinary or standard keyboard, is the most common. It is ideal for people who want to perform basic office tasks, such as word processing.
How is it composed?
It is a metal or plastic keyboard, made up of a membrane of several layers:
- an upper layer composed of a printed circuit,
- a layer with holes at the key locations,
- a lower layer composed of a printed circuit.
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, allowing contact with the circuit board. The key usage information is sent to the processor which displays the chosen character on your screen.
The membrane keyboard: its advantages.
Do you want a small, compact, light, quiet keyboard at an affordable price? The membrane keyboard is the one you need.
- Its simple design and material composition make it cheaper to produce. Thus, it is distributed in the market at a generally reasonable price.
- Due to the fact that it contains few moving parts and is assembled from flexible materials helping to muffle the majority of noise, it is appreciated when you have to work in a space where silence is required.
- Also, its size and density make it easy to transport. Ideal when you have little space on a desk.
The membrane keyboard: its disadvantages
- First of all, let's cite its lack of tactile responsiveness. In fact, the membrane keyboard does not have a spring action allowing the key to rise instantly. The typing response being a little less, this gives it a slower typing speed than a mechanical keyboard.
- Another major disadvantage is its longevity. Its durability is estimated at 5 million keystrokes.
- Since the keys are not separate moving parts, cleaning can be difficult.
The mechanical keyboard: gaming keyboard par excellence?
You might think that the mechanical keyboard was created for the video game market. However, it has been around since the 80s. A large keyboard with big keys that we used in high school computer classes. Does this mean anything to you? It was a flagship product from the manufacturer IBM. It was appreciated for its qualities of robustness, precision and comfort of use. Over time, the mechanical keyboard has evolved. It has retained its attributes that made it popular, but it has been enriched with many other features to appeal to gamers.
What is special about this keyboard?
What differentiates it from the membrane keyboard are the switches.
These small spring-loaded switches are placed under each key on the keyboard. Pressing one of them compresses the spring which activates the switch, making the character immediately appear on the screen. The keyboard is made up of three parts:
- the numeric keypad visible,
- the switch placed under the key cap,
- the keyboard case.
There are two popular families of mechanical keyboards. Those with linear switches or those with tactile switches. What makes them different? The sensibility.
Linear switches are subject to spring resistance only, ideal for fast response time.
The tactile switches have a two-stage stroke: soft, then hardened during control activity. The user feels the activation of the key under pressure.
Other keyboards are equipped with clicky or clicky switches. The key clicks when the command is activated.
Note that the most common brand of switches is that of the German manufacturer Cherry.
Good to know : With a mechanical keyboard, you can change the keys! See our article “ How to change the keys on a mechanical keyboard? “
The ultimate: anti-ghosting technology
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. Thus, your keyboard does not respond or responds poorly depending on a combination. Rather annoying when during a game you have to move forward, take a step to the left while sprinting, that's already three presses. If we add a weapon change, it's additional pressure. In total, four keys required. Some keyboards don't accommodate as many key presses. Or, it happens that an additional key is triggered even though it has not been used. So you are limited by your equipment.
A keyboard equipped with anti-ghosting technology with N-Key Rollover capability ensures the ability to press a multitude of keys at the same time without misinterpreting activated keys. The higher the NKRO rating, the more capable the keyboard is of registering multiple keystrokes simultaneously.
We invite you to take a look at a best mechanical keyboard test
The mechanical keyboard: its advantages.
This PC keyboard has no shortage of features that will delight gaming aficionados.
- The responsiveness thanks to the switches is indisputable. It's faster, it's smooth to use, it's precise. Appreciable abilities to avoid the ball during a game.
- It is durable and sturdy. The service life of a switch can extend up to 80 million keystrokes.
- The customization of the keyboard with an LED backlighting option is truly stylish. This alternative gives it a touch of elegance.
- It is an ergonomic keyboard, comfort being a factor of good responsiveness. A wrist rest for prolonged use is a plus. From a practicality point of view, you can opt for a wireless or wired keyboard. Check beforehand that the wireless feature does not hinder ease of use.
- Since 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, aren't cheap.
- Although the wrist rest is a plus, you have to admit that this keyboard is heavy and large. You will therefore need to offer him more space on a table.
What criteria should be put forward when purchasing the keyboard?
The selection criteria will obviously be:
- reactivity, i.e. the choice of switches,
- robustness depending on the quality of the composition materials,
- comfort of use and practicality,
- design.
To conclude, the mechanical keyboard is the companion of the gamer aiming for performance. To you GG/GJ (good game/good job)!
