There's no contest: If I was buying a gaming keyboard right now, it'd be this Asus for $148

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Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 | Wireless | Hot-swappable mechanical switches | $249.99 $147.99 at Amazon (save $32)
Well, here it is. The tippity-top of gaming keebs, and our top pick for the best gaming keyboard overall right now—just substantially lower in price. Here you get excellent switch feel, impeccable gaming performance, sound dampening that actually works and a build quality that stands head and shoulders above most of the competition. A truly desirable object, for less.

Price check: Newegg $179.99

View Deal

Let's start off with a fact: We at PC Gamer are an unashamed bunch of keyboard nerds. Barely a day goes by without a debate about switches, typing feel, the dubious merits of integrated screens, and so on. So let me reassure you that when a keyboard crowns the top of our best gaming keyboard guide, it's made it there after some seriously heavy debate and extensive testing.

Enter, the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless. Ignore that overly wordy name for a second, as I'm pretty sure it's a practical joke from Asus to make hardware reviewers double-check they're writing it correctly every time they recommend this keeb. Which they will. Because it's fabulous.

We gave it 93% in our review, or rather, our Jacob gave it 93% in his review, and we have all since nodded our heads in approval. It's worth pointing out that, among the keyboard fans in the office, Jacob is one of the pickiest. So when he says that the switch feel is excellent, the sound dampening really works, and that it's the best gaming keyboard he's used in a very, very long time, you'd best believe this is something special. 

Ok, so the Armoury Crate software is a bit rubbish. But to be honest, almost all gaming keyboard software is, so we can't knock it too hard for that.

I've found it on discount for $148 at Amazon, and for that price I seriously wouldn't consider much else. Enthusiast keyboards can get very expensive, very quickly. But under $150 is a great price for a keyboard that takes all the best elements of the top gaming models around right now, and combines them together in one sleek, mean, typing-and-gaming machine.

And that's really the trick. You can find hot-swappable mechanical keyboards all over the place these days, along with lubed switches, media wheels, etc. What's difficult is getting the best versions all together in one board, and that's what Asus has managed to deliver.

In fact, it's given itself a bit of a problem. While Asus makes some excellent boards across its range, like the ROG Azoth and ROG Azoth Extreme, they're often very pricey. Whereas this model is pretty reasonably priced to begin with—and now it's been around for a while it's seeing some proper discounts, too.

So why would you go for the pricier models? Well, the OLED screens are rather pleasant, but it's very debateable how much use you'd get out of them. There's no such offering here, and I think it's all the better for it. What matters is typing feel, sound, gaming performance, and build.

The Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless (yes, I double checked) has all of that in spades, and here it is for properly reasonable money. If I was buying a gaming keyboard right now, it's the one I'd pick in a heartbeat. No contest, job done.