Best Gaming Keyboard Under $100 for 2022 – CNET

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If you’re most comfortable doing your office work on a membrane keyboard, the Cynosa might be the gaming keyboard for you. It’s a membrane keyboard, not mechanical, so the keys are quiet and definitely feel softer than the others here and some might find them mushy. Still, if you’re looking to use one keyboard for both work and play, this is a fine compromise for its $60 list price.

Many of the original Cynosa’s features carry over, including per-key RGB lighting — a rarity at this end of the market — and durable spill-resistant design. What’s new is a set of media keys added to the upper right corner. Razer also added cable routing under the keyboard so you can keep your desk a little tidier. 

This is also one of the most programmable keyboards here. There are a lot of preset lighting effects to pick from and you can also create your own using the Synapse 3.0 software. There’s also Razer’s Hypershift feature that lets you set up a secondary set of functions for your keys that are accessed with a “shift” key you choose. You can also rebind keys and set macros with the software.

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If you want a wireless gaming keyboard and lights, consider the K57. This budget wireless keyboard uses rubber-dome switches with a pronounced actuation point, which gives it more of an office-keyboard feel like the Razer Cynosa. Gaming on it requires a touch more force than the mechanical keyboards here and rollover is limited to eight keys. Aside from those, the experience is just fine.

The K57 wirelessly connects to your PC via low-latency Bluetooth or Corsair’s 2.4GHz Slipstream technology that uses a tiny USB-A adapter for lag-free gaming. It can also be used wired with the included Micro-USB cable, which charges up the keyboard, too. While it doesn’t have the longevity of the Logitech when you’re using the per-key RGB lighting, you can get through several days of gaming without needing to charge it up.

A row of dedicated macro keys on the left and discrete media controls on the right round out the features. Plus, Corsair’s software is straightforward to use, which makes creating custom keyboard lighting and setting up those macro keys pretty painless. At $80, however, you’re definitely paying more for those features.

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