The Top 10 Best Keyboards

Maybe your old keyboard has typed its last letter. Maybe you’ve become frustrated by a sub-par keyboard slowing you down during work. Perhaps your gaming ambitions have left you dissatisfied with the mediocre keyboard that came with your desktop PC. Whatever the reason, anyone can benefit from a better keyboard. Upgrading your keyboard may not seem like an important thing to do, but you would be surprised what a difference a well made keyboard can make in terms of comfort, efficiency, and overall satisfaction. After all, is there any part of your computer more hands-on than your keyboard?

Keyboards come in a variety of categories, from no nonsense machines built for typing efficiency to sculpted ergonomic designs that cradle your hands and relieve stress on the joints. When shopping for keyboard, here are a few specific features to know.

How does the keyboard connect to the PC? Many keyboards use a simple wired USB connection, plugging into the nearest port and working with minimal fuss. Wired keyboards have the unfortunate problem of cluttering your desk with yet another cable, so some prefer the sleeker look and more flexible connection offered by wireless options. Both have there pros and cons, however. Wired connections are the easiest to set up, and are prized by gamers for the low latency and minimal lag offered by a cable. Wireless connections, on the other hand, let you pick up and move without being tethered to the PC, and keep everything a little more neat and tidy. However, with no wired connection to draw power from, battery life is a real concern for any wireless option as even the longest lasting battery will still need to be replaced sometime down the road.

Finally, most keyboard will offer few extra features in addition to the basic QWERTY keyboard. Keyboards made for Windows 8 will often have special function hotkeys that offer the same functions as the Windows 8 Charms Bar, such as Home, Search, Share, Settings, and Device shortcuts. Others will offer media playback controls, such as Play, Pause, and Stop for music and video, and volume controls.

Gaming keyboards take this an order of magnitude further, providing customization software that allows a user to program strings of complex commands (called macros) that can be launched with the press of a button later, such as during a game. It’s a feature that may be overkill for the average typist, but offers a competitive edge for the dedicated gamer.

This list is anything but exhaustive, so be sure to check out our regularly posted keyboard reviews, and have a look at our in depth guide, How to Buy a Keyboard.

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By Brian Westover, PCMag