While the PC that’s delivering all the eye candy is important, it’s the peripherals you use to interact with games regularly that will most affect your gaming experience. A standard mouse and keyboard make things work, but dedicated gaming hardware can vastly improve your PC gaming experience.

The following keyboards are affordable and provide quality features, balancing performance with a price point. These mechanical keyboards with the click-clack key action you crave are all under $250.

Logitech G513 Carbon

PROS

• Well-developed gaming capabilities

• Comfortable tactile switches are sometimes necessary in the workplace.

CONS

• No dedicated media keys were included.

Below are some reasons why you should purchase this:

The Logitech G513 is a well-rounded, sleek-design mechanical keyboard with a great feature set. The Romer-G switches are quiet and responsive without sacrificing the tactile feedback that’s desirable for typing. The metal top plate adds rigidity, allowing the keys to feel stable and consistent when you type. It also gives the peripheral a premium feel, which is great for the price.

The G513 also has features that you rarely find in keyboards at any price range. The backlighting can be customized on a per-key basis and is bright enough to be easily visible in most lighting conditions. The USB passthrough is powerful enough to support high-speed data transfer and charging devices, which means it supports fast charging of your smartphone or tablet while you’re playing games or working on your computer.

While there are better keyboards out there, they’ll cost you more than twice as much as the G513. If you’re looking for an affordable, feature-rich keyboard, this is the one to get.

Who it’s for:

Overall, the G513 Carbon is a very solid keyboard. It has all the things we look for in a great gaming keyboard: RGB lighting, macro keys, onboard memory, and a comfortable wrist rest. The only thing that’s missing are dedicated media controls.

Logitech backs the G513 with a two-year limited warranty.

Corsair K55 RGB PRO XT

The best budget gaming keyboard

PROS

• The Corsair K55 RGB PRO XT is a great choice for those who don’t want to spend too much money on a gaming keyboard. It has all the features you need, including dedicated media controls, macro keys, per-key RGB lighting, and more.
• If you’re looking for a gaming keyboard that’s very affordable, but can still provide the necessary features of a gaming keyboard, look no further. The Corsair K55 RGB PRO XT is an awesome budget gaming keyboard with plenty of features.

CONS

• The only downsides are the key switches themselves.
• Limited customization options

Why you should buy this: 

The Corsair K55 RGB PRO XT is a good keyboard. It’s an affordable keyboard that comes with most of the expected gaming goodies, like dedicated media keys and software support.

In short, you won’t be disappointed with the K55 if you’re looking for an affordable gaming keyboard.

Who it’s for: 

The Corsair K55 RGB PRO XT is a worthy follow-up to the original K55. It’s a great board for gamers and typists who want the signature Corsair look, but don’t want to spend top dollar on a mechanical model.

Why we chose the Corsair K55 RGB Pro XT:

The Corsair K55 RGB Pro XT is an entry-level keyboard for gamers who want a little bit of everything. It’s not mechanical, but it has per-key RGB lighting, onboard memory, and macro support. The K55 RGB Pro XT is a membrane keyboard that features a solid design and good tactility for the price.