Page 6 - Gaming
Testing and Gaming
You don't need a fancy mechanical keyboard to play a game well, but it can make a game that much more enjoyable to play. Typing a lot on a mechanical keyboard is a no-brainer.
On the other hand, there are keyboards that are better for noise than others. Gaming on a Model M, while doable, is a little tiring and it does make quite a bit of noise. The Rosewill RK-9000 with MX Blue is in the noisy keyboard category. It isn't as loud as the Model M, but it does have a decent click.
Let's make some noise. One quick way to figure out how fast you can type is to try one of the many free online typing games.
Typracer!
Typeracer is an online game that tests your typing ability using very interesting quotes from movies, books, and video games. With the RK-9000 I was just about 82WPM average, and just a tad faster on the Filco Ninja with MX Brown switches. The Model M I am just a little slower, around 75WPM, and on a standard keyboard I am just about 70WPM, but with a few more errors.
I think for RTS games like Starcraft 2 where a positive feeling keyboard can make a difference, I would definitely go with a MX Blue or MX Brown board. I also tend to like to quietly game, so MX Blue would also not be my first choice.
For games like Dirt 3, the clicky MX Blue noise tends to fade into the background. My Model M never quite did that. Same goes for FPS games like Battlefield 2 and Bad Company 2, only survival matters in the heat of battle!
In a sneaker game like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, it does become a distraction, especially when you're immersed and you start to think the enemies can hear the clicks.
Speaking of quiet...
Ping!
One of the things that separates mechanical keyboards is how they sound. Believe it or not, how a keyboard sounds affects how you type. Some describe this as pinging, but the combination of all the parts working together that make the keyboard sound the way it does. There are lots of theories about what it is, what it sounds like, and what causes it. Anyway, the RK-9000 does indeed ping. Most Cherry boards I have in the lab exhibit ping to some degree, with the Filco Ninja being the least ping-y.
Please find sound samples for several keyboards below. If the audio player doesn't start, then please use the hard links beneath.
IBM Model M:
Model M: Unmistakable buckling spring sound, father of all ping.
Dell SK-8110 standard rubber dome:
The Dell SK-8110 is a very normal rubber dome keyboard, and its also the least exciting sounding.
Filco Ninja 104 with MX Brown and PBT keycaps:
The Ninja 104 is my work keyboard, so I am very comfortable with it. It has very little ring, but I think the best sounding.
Leopold FC200R with MX Blues:
The Leopold FC200R is the most pingy of the bunch, but its also the most fun to type on.
The Rosewill RK-9000 with MX Blues:
The Rosewill RK-9000 is a little pingy, but also a lot of fun to type on.
To sum up, the Rosewill RK-9000 is a good keyboard for gaming, but better suited to typing tasks. Fortunately, Rosewill has other RK-9000 models to suit the more-gaming-than-typing person.
This RK-9000 has its ping centered around the Enter key and surrounding keys. The left side is fairly dampened, but even the left shift key will cause ringing in the right side of the board. I dont really mind the ping, it is a sweet reminder that this is a mechanical keyboard. Its supposed to make noise! Rubber dome keyboards make rubbery, plastic noises too, but people dont complain about that do they? Mechanical keyboards make mechanical noise, get over it.
