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The Tech Report published a review on a new keyboard from Rosewill



Mechanical keyboards are pretty much standard enthusiast fare nowadays. That wasn't always the case. There was a time when nearly everyone was seemingly content with the mushy, rubber-dome switches of Logitech or Microsoft keyboards. Today, though, a visit to the nearest enthusiast message board is certain to reveal gaggles of geeks debating the merits of this mechanical key switch or that.

Sensing a golden opportunity, or perhaps simply capitalizing on a trend they created, peripheral makers have swelled their lineups with all manners of clicky keyboards. Entry prices are lofty, often in excess of $100, and product pages tout various additional amenities for hard-core gamers, inveterate typists, and those who are neither but want it all.

In exchange for $134, typists are promised tactile bliss with the Das Keyboard Model S Ultimate Silent. For $5 more, gamers can delight themselves with a Battlefield 3-themed version of Razer's BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard, which has light-up-in-the-dark keys, macro buttons, and a paint job crafted to highlight one's taste for simulated warfare. Hopeless addicts of massively multiplayer games may indulge themselves with Corsair's $115 Vengeance K90, which is also backlit and features even more macro keys (18 in total, plus three macro switching buttons). Some even take to specialized retailers, who might carry keyboards like the $345 Topre Realforce 87U Tenkeyless 55g. Other options abound; manufacturers like Cooler Master, Gigabyte, Steelseries, and Thermaltake all offer at least one type of fancy mechanical keyboard.
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