A keyboard and mouse, virtually every computer is controlled by this combination. Of course, while the keys and buttons are common between different input models, there are certainly better designs for the purpose of the computer it is controlling. Be it a gaming PC, a media center or just a plain old standard PC, there is keyboard and mouse which is the perfect fit.

ExtremeTech has two good articles which outline what model might be best suited for what purpose:

• The Best Keyboards for Every Occasion
• The Best Computer Mice in Every Category

Each article breaks down the respective device by several categories and gives a review of each. One thing to note is price doesn’t really seem to be a consideration. Depending on the use, however, sometimes the cost may well be worth the design.

There was a time when all computer keyboards were basically all the same. The people who made the standard was IBM and you can still see (and purchase if you like) some of those old keyboards – the model M – at www.clickykeyboards.com.

Before continuing, I know someone is going to ask “What’s the pic of the keyboard in this article?” It’s a Luxeed. And no I don’t own one.

What changed the landscape of keyboard shapes, sizes and keys were three things (two of which due to Microsoft):

1. The addition of a “flag”, a.k.a. “win” key.
2. The “natural” shape.
3. The ability to add in multimedia functions (volume control, assignable keys, etc.)

Since the advent of these things we’ve seen tons of different styles of keyboards, and each year continue to see attempts by manufacturers to reinvent the wheel, so to speak.

The fact of the matter is that when you take away all the fluff and get to what really matters in a keyboard, it makes your purchasing decision much easier.

With that said, here’s what to look for when shopping for a keyboard:

Key placement

The first thing keyboard manufacturers mess with is:

1. The placement of the arrow keys
2. The placement of the Home / End / Insert / Delete / PgUp / PgDown cluster
3. The size of the backslash key (the slash above the Enter key)
4. The size of the Enter key itself

For some reason keyboard manufacturers take great liberties with the size and placement of the keys mentioned above. It is usually the last thing most people look to when purchasing a new keyboard. I say it should be the first thing to examine.

Could you deal with a keyboard that has all the arrow keys in a horizontal row? How about all vertical? Are you saying “They’re both wrong!” You’re right. Up and down should be vertical and left and right should be horizontal.

Extraneous keys

Many keyboards have a lot of useless crap on them that unfortunately do nothing but get in the way because you’re guaranteed to hit these keys by mistake from time to time.

An example is the RAZER Pro. There are added-in keys on the left and the right. Keys like this will drive you bonkers in short order.

Normal profile or short profile?

Short profile keys make a standard keyboard feel like a laptop keyboard.

I actually really like half-height keys, a.k.a. “short profile” keys.

If you are the touch-typist kind, you will like short profile keys. Otherwise stick to regular profile (which is everything else).

You will know instantly whether a keyboard is “short” or not just by using it for a few seconds.

Is there a delay when using wireless?

Always. Personally speaking I can’t stand wireless keyboards because a) I don’t like anything running on batteries that doesn’t have to be and b) the response is not as good as when it’s wired, be it via PS/2 connector or USB.

Does price matter?

This is something that confuses a lot of people. You would assume that because one keyboard costs more than the other that it’s better, right?

Wrong.

Ordinarily when you pay big bucks for a keyboard you’re not paying for a better unit but rather just for whiz-bang features. Extra keys, goodies and so on.

Here are two examples of good keyboards:

Expensive: Enermax KB007U-B. This is 75 bucks. Expensive? You betcha. Plain looking? You betcha. Solid as a rock? Absolutely – and has its key orientation exactly as it should be. No extraneous keys. This is a near-perfect keyboard. This is what you want one to look like.

Cheap: The LiteON SK-1788. Only 7 bucks. Has great customer ratings. If you buy it and like it, buy 2 more. Again this keyboard his a nice familiar standard layout with no fluff.

It is the key orientation and comfort that you want and not whiz-bang features. Always remember that. Comfort includes layout familiarity and both ‘boards above have that.

Trying the keyboard first is still your best bet

Better computer retailers have keyboards all set up ready for you to try out. These keyboards aren’t plugged into anything but that doesn’t matter because it’s the feel that matters. Try it out. Type a few words/phrases, make sure to use the number pad, mind the location of the arrow keys and so on.

It’s very annoying to buy a brand new keyboard, take it home and then realize some keys are not in familiar spots. Find this out before you take it home.