If you’ve been in the world of PC gaming for long enough, you would have heard by now that there is a big emphasis on what sort of keyboard you use.
Well, it makes sense; a keyboard is like the heart of a gaming PC, so without it, things would certainly be a lot harder.
Look on the internet at photos of people’s gaming setups and most of the time the keyboard will be one of the main focuses. Even big-name brands like Razer, Logitech and Steel Series have keyboards as some of their most-sold items. Just like a mouse bungee completes a mouse, a keyboard completes the entire gaming setup altogether.
So if you look a little deeper at keyboards, it is obvious that there are currently two main types: Membrane and mechanical. Well, which one do you choose?
Membrane Keyboards
Membrane keyboards are what most people are going to be familiar with, even if you aren’t a gamer. Most non-gaming keyboards are membrane keyboards and are what you would be used to if you work in an office using a typical keyboard designed purely for typing.
Membrane keyboards are certainly not uncommon, as most laptops use membrane.
So what exactly is a membrane keyboard? It’s a keyboard that uses a rubber “membrane” instead of mechanical switches. This is why you’ll find that membrane keyboards are a lot quieter than their mechanical counterparts.
Mechanical Keyboards
On the other hand, mechanical keyboards are somewhat newer and have become the go-to keyboard in the gaming world. This is for many reasons.
First of all, mechanical keyboards last way longer than membrane keyboards. On average, you would be able to get around 20 million presses on a single key for a mechanical keyboard - while membrane keyboards have only around 5 million.
Mechanical keyboards are also a lot more responsive and reliable, feeling more durable and tougher. Not only that, they appear to be a lot more responsive and are often used by professional esports players because of this.
And, on average, mechanical keyboards come in many different types too that allow for all sorts of customization. Not only do you have the option to change the “switches” of these keys which allow for a different feel when typing, but you’ll also generally see a lot more variation with lighting compared to the plain old membrane keyboards.
Choosing a Membrane Gaming Keyboard
Membrane keyboards and gaming membrane keyboards are often chosen by people who aren’t too serious when it comes to gaming. They may not be as fussy as a lot of other people when it comes to what they like.
That said, membrane keyboards are often a safe and reliable option. You’ll definitely not have to worry about forking out a lot of cash in order to get a decent membrane gaming keyboard - something that is a little harder to say for mechanical keyboards.
Membrane keyboards are especially great for people who don’t game that often, and still want to use their computers for typical tasks. It may be for people who couldn’t care less about flashy lights, and just need to type some stuff out for work or university.
And for parents wanting to set their children up with a low-end gaming setup, you should almost always go with a membrane keyboard. This is obviously because of the pricing, and you won’t have to worry too much about damage.
Choosing a Mechanical Keyboard
If you want to fully complete your gaming setup, MouseOne believes you should definitely go with a mechanical keyboard.
As mentioned, mechanical keyboards last a long time. Because of the way they are designed and the mechanisms they use, expected to get millions upon millions of presses. Also, you’ll find that mechanical keyboards are more likely to be waterproof. Not only that, you can clean them really easily too since the keys pop off very easily.
If you’re a professional gamer or get into competitive games quite often then you should go for a mechanical keyboard. They tend to be much more responsive and reliable due to the switches working at lightspeed.
Plus, the amount of personalization you can achieve with mechanical keyboards is unbelievable. You can change the switches, and add unique keycaps and most RGB gaming keyboards will be mechanical instead of the membrane.
Conclusion
If you’re deciding between a mechanical or membrane keyboard, don’t stress. Most tech stores have keyboards on display that allow you to test how each keyboard feels. This should give you a better idea of what each one should feel like.
If you have the money, you could also buy both a mechanical keyboard and a membrane keyboard and switch between them.
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