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A gaming keyboard to a professional gamer is what a sword is to a warrior. With so many sizes, key types, special features, and connectivity options, it can be a hectic job to choose the perfect one.
For multiplayer shooter titles like Valorant, CS:GO, and Fortnite, it is necessary to have a proper gaming keyboard.
Keys are the most important part of a gaming keyboard. To level up their game, most gamers go for mechanical gaming keyboards, which provide a better typing experience and reliability.
This article gives a brief description of different types of mechanical keys and keyboard form factors, as well as the top five picks for the best gaming keyboards in 2022 to play CS:GO.
The 12 most popular key types on mechanical keyboards are:
- Cherry MX Red - Soft & linear
- Cherry MX Brown - Soft & tactile
- Cherry MX Blue - Soft & clicky
- Cherry MX Black - Medium & linear
- Cherry MX Clear - Medium & tactile
- Cherry MX Green - Medium & clicky
- Cherry MX Linear gray - Stiff & linear
- Cherry MX Tactile gray - Stiff & tactile
- Cherry MX White - Stiff & clicky
The 3 most popular keyboard form factors are:
- Full size - Most popular keyboard form factor with around 104 keys (excluding the media keys).
- Tenkeyless- Tenkeyless or TKL keyboards have 80% keys that of a full-size keyboard, omitting the numpad.
- 60%- The 60% form factor omits all the keys right of the Enter key, and the function row.
Best gaming keyboards for CS:GO in 2022
1) Corsair K100
- 110 keys
- Corsair OPX / CherryMX Speed switches
- iCUE control wheel
- 6 programmable macro keys
Corsair K100 is a flagship level gaming keyboard from the famous PC peripherals brand. K100 comes with two color options, Midnight Gold and Black. There are also two key options, including:
- Corsair's proprietary linear and hyper-fast OPX keys with 1.0 mm actuation distance
- CherryMX Speed Silver keys with 1.2 mm actuation distance
Corsair's AXON Hyper-Processing Technology delivers the next level typing experience with up to 8x faster keypress inputs, with 8,000Hz hyper-polling and 4,000Hz key scanning. It not only has dynamic per-key RGB backlighting but also a 44-zone three-sided RGB LightEdge with 5 different lighting modes, including:
- Rain
- Watercolor
- Colorshift
- Rainbow wave up
- Visor
The multi-function iCUE control wheel has programmable settings like brightness, switch application, track jogging, zoom and track select.
The six dedicated macro keys are fully programmable through the ICUE software and can also be programmed for special streaming commands through Elgato Stream Deck software.
Price starting from $209.99.
2) SteelSeries Apex Pro
- 104 keys
- SteelSeries OmniPoint switches
- Series 5000 Aircraft grade aluminum
- OLED Smart Display
SteelSeries Apex Pro is an advanced gaming keyboard that provides the best experience. Apex Pro features an ultra-fast 0.4 mm OmniPoint Switch and is the first of its kind to have adjustable mechanical switches, where each key can be customized with a preferred sensitivity level.
Another highlighted feature of this keyboard is the OLED Smart Display, an integrated command center that displays useful information for adjusting settings, changing profiles, and updates.
Dynamic per-key RGB lights with millions of color options and reactive typing effects add an edge to the looks of a gaming setup.
There are customizable macros that can be mapped to view current KDA, money, and other functions in CS:GO. The Series 5000 metal frame with three different built-in wire routing channels ensures a lifetime durability and clean, tidy setup.
The premium magnetic wristrest provides a comfortable gaming and typing experience, while the clickable metal roller and media key allows adjusting volume, changing brightness, rewinding, skipping, pausing and more controls on the go. Everything is customizable through SteelSeries Engine software.
Price starting from $209.99.
3) Razer Huntsman Mini
- 104 keys
- Razer Purple/Red/Analog switches
- 60% form factor
- Doubleshot PBT keycaps
The Razer Huntsman Mini is a 60% form factor gaming keyboard with 61 keys. It is a great compact keyboard, especially for professional gamers. The Huntsman Mini comes with Black and Mercury color options. The mechanical switches used are:
- Razer Purple optical switch, the only clicky switch with 1.5 mm actuation distance
- Razer Red optical switch, a linear switch with 1.2mm actuation distance
- Razer Analog optical switch
Analog optical switches are Razer's most advanced optical switches, with features like adjustable actuation distance within the range of 1.5 to 3.6 mm. In games like CS:GO, the dual-step action helps by first cooking a grenade. The second action throws it - two tasks in at a single keypress.
The Huntsman Mini comes equipped with Razer Doubleshot PBT keycaps with side-printed secondary functions. Razer Chroma customizable backlighting offers 16.8 million color options.
Price starting from $119.99.
4) HyperX Alloy Origins Core
- 87 keys
- HyperX Aqua/Red/Blue switches
- Tenkeyless form factor
- Aircraft-grade aluminum
HyperX Alloy Origins Core is a tenkeyless gaming keyboard. It comes with 87 keys and three mechanical switch options:
- HyperX Aqua tactile
- HyperX Red linear
- HyperX Blue clicky switches
The smaller tenkeyless form factor allows more space for rapid mouse movements. Alloy Origins Core comes with RGB back-lit keys with radiant lighting effects. The full aircraft-grade aluminum body adds to the overall build quality of the keyboard.
The HyperX NGENUITY Software provides advanced customization options, including a game mode with 100% anti-ghosting, and N-key rollover. The onboard memory has three lighting profiles, and users can save their preferred lighting profile on the keyboard itself to use with different PCs.
Alloy Origins Core has two keyboard feet, providing three different keyboard tilt angles 3°, 7°,and 11° for better positioning.
Price starting from $89.99.
5) Logitech G Pro X
- 87 keys
- GX Brown/Red/Blue switches
- Tenkeyless form factor
- Swappable switches
Logitech G Pro X is the top pick in tenkeyless category gaming keyboards. Along with the keyboard, Logitech also has gaming mouse and gaming headphones in their G Pro X series. The most highlighted feature of G Pro X gaming keyboard is the option to swap every key among the selection of GX Brown tactile, GX Red linear and GX Blue clicky switches.
Users can customize this gaming keyboard to a whole other level by assigning different switches to each key as per their need.
Like the G Pro X mouse and headset, the keyboard also comes in Shroud edition, the fruit of a collaboration between famous pro gamer and streamer Shroud and Logitech. The G Hub software provides LIGHTSYNC RGB lighting, onboard lighting profile, 12 programmable function keys, and various other features in this keyboard. The report rate of G Pro X is as fast as 1 ms.
Prices starting from $149.99 for keyboard and $50.00 for each type of key sets.
For CS:GO gamers out there, the above list showcased various types of keyboards with various form factors.
