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[SOLVED] Budget keyboard with QUIET keys and/or small keys? Business or gaming.

winterwonderland

winterwonderland

Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Messages
651 (0.11/day)
Location
Norway, which means Amazon is not available...
System Specs
System Name Winter v3.2024
Processor Intel i7 12700K (since november 2021)
Motherboard Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X (since november 2021)
Cooling Air Liquid Freezer II 360 with LGA1700 kit (since november 2021)
Memory Crucial Ballistix 2x16gb 3600mhz C16 (since november 2021)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte RTX 3060 Ti Gaming OC Pro LHR - Rev3.0 (since july 2022)
Storage 1x 1TB WD Blue SN570 SSD, 1x Seagate 4TB SATA
Display(s) 1x 55" LG C1 4k OLED, 1x Gigabyte 32" M32Q and 2x AOC 27" CG1
Case Fractal Design Define R6 (since 2018 and still working like a charm!)
Power Supply Corsair RM850x black (since august 2022)
Mouse Razor Deathadder v2 (since december 2021)
Keyboard Varmilo VEA109 v2 MX Silent Red (since august 2022)
Software Windows 11 Pro
Hello Techpowerup heroes!

im trying to find myself a new keyboard, but it doesn't seem to be that easy...

im trying to find a keyboard that fills these criteria:
+ must be rather quiet. this one is a must. so i assume no mechanic keyboard?
+ must be under or around $50
+ SHOULD have lowered/small keys
+ must have numpad
+ preferably a wired keyboard
note: im located in one of the nordic countries in europe, so finding keyboards that you got in U.S is difficult due to the nordic keys missing on them....

this it should NOT have (things i dont need):
+ 34724235682376 media buttons

whether it is a keyboard for gaming or not, it's all okay. im going to use it for business and very light gaming.

i have used the apple keyboard for my windows for several years now, so now i need a change.

i stumbled upon this video, but i couldn't find the red dragon keyboard over here...

ANY suggestions for me? i know im asking for something very difficult here, but oh well... i had to. you guys are the experts.

UPDATE: after some suggestions on various keyboards, i ultimately landed on the suggested keyboard named CHERRY STREAM 3.0 - and wow! what an a-m-a-z-i-n-g keyboard this is!! the feel is just great, the keys fit me so good, it's even more quiet than apples keyboard, they keys are as small as they should be AND it was surprisingly CHEAP compared to other keyboards! and nice bonuses (for me): it contains USEFUL shortkeys/media keys which i use frequently. the quality feels stunningly great, which again results in the keyboard being rather heavy comparing to my other "old" keyboards, not that it's such a bad thing, tbh. the only but yet so small negative thing i can point out with this is the fact that the lighting for the lock-buttons is VERY bright, so when you are watching a movie, they certainly are making its strong shine. i do believe there might be a way to fix that, though. i just havent gotten that far yet. OVERALL: this keyboard is the BEST keyboard i've had AND tried so far for my purposes! probably one of the best all-around keyboards there is under $50. totally worth the blind buy i did, and i have suggested the keyboard to my friends who are also looking for an excellent keyboard, which is what cherry stream 3.0 is! totally recommended and worth the wait!!
 
Last edited:
If you can find a mechanical keyboard under $50 like these
you can get o-rings for them which make them a lot quieter.
 
Logitech K310. Stylish, fairly quiet, washable and around 30 euros.
 
I have a Rapoo http://rapoo.com/product/119

Great keyboard, but it's wireless and just the media keys are only visible on touch.
They make other nice keyboards as well.

20160921_115922.jpg
 
Ohooo! see?! this forum is ALWAYS the answer to all my techie Q's when it comes to PC, and again you've helped me!

thanks for 2 great candidates! both keyboards are available with my language keys and they both seem to be like a great choice!

FYFI13: how is K310 compared to say the apple keyboard in terms of performance and quietness? thanks for a really good suggestion, btw!

P4-630 said:
I have a Rapoo http://rapoo.com/product/119

Great keyboard, but it's wireless and just the media keys are only visible on touch.
They make other nice keyboards as well.

View attachment 81305
Click to expand...

Is it easy to clean Rapoo keyboards?
 
minstreless said:
Ohooo! see?! this forum is ALWAYS the answer to all my techie Q's when it comes to PC, and again you've helped me!

thanks for 2 great candidates! both keyboards are available with my language keys and they both seem to be like a great choice!

FYFI13: how is K310 compared to say the apple keyboard in terms of performance and quietness? thanks for a really good suggestion, btw!



Is it easy to clean Rapoo keyboards?
Click to expand...

The flat keyboard I have is very easy to clean, also there is not much dust getting on and between the keys since they are flat unlike normal higher key keyboards.
 
Logitech illuminated kb, its almost like the rapoo mentioned but wired. I had one for 3 years before giving it to my dad who still uses it
 
What also nice is about my rapoo, you don't get any finger smudge on the metal finish.
 
i use a cheap logitech one.. having said that when the numbers wear off as they always do i will chuck it and buy a new one.. i never expect a keyboard to last me very long..

trog
 
FreedomEclipse said:
Logitech illuminated kb, its almost like the rapoo mentioned but wired. I had one for 3 years before giving it to my dad who still uses it
Click to expand...

which illuminated keyboard is it? im also trying to find a wired keyboard... is it the k800..?

p4-630: the problem for me is that i cannot find a wired rapoo... or is there no wired rapoo?
 
Throw an eye on Cherry Stream keyboards. I had to replace my old Logitech UltraX and since they weren't obtainable anymore, I had to find an alternate solution.

And this one was one of rare products that ticked all my boxes...

- comes in white or black (I've opted for black)
- very affordable
- it's Cherry, so it'll be quality stuff either way even as cheapo keyboard
- flat keys (I hate tall keys)
- large main ENTER key
- has full multimedia keys on top which was a must have for me coz they are super useful
- reasonably quiet (UltraX was a lot more clicky)

Can't really say there are any faults with it and I've had it for several months now. Btw, I have the 2.0 version, 3.0 is identical, but now has laser engraved characters which are more durable than printed on 2.0...
 
RejZoR said:
Throw an eye on Cherry Stream keyboards. I had to replace my old Logitech UltraX and since they weren't obtainable anymore, I had to find an alternate solution.

And this one was one of rare products that ticked all my boxes...

- comes in white or black (I've opted for black)
- very affordable
- it's Cherry, so it'll be quality stuff either way even as cheapo keyboard
- flat keys (I hate tall keys)
- large main ENTER key
- has full multimedia keys on top which was a must have for me coz they are super useful
- reasonably quiet (UltraX was a lot more clicky)

Can't really say there are any faults with it and I've had it for several months now. Btw, I have the 2.0 version, 3.0 is identical, but now has laser engraved characters which are more durable than printed on 2.0...
Click to expand...

oh wow! i think i found my next keyboard!! this looks absolutely brilliant! it's perfect price, it has some great reviews, it contains numpad + nordic keys, it's slim, it has flat keys, it's durable, large enter key, great quality, the media controllers are USEFUL to me AND it's QUIET!

thanks a lot for this suggestion! i will most certainly go for a Cherry Stream keyboard as my next keyboard! i wasn't looking for THIS good of a keyboard, but wow, this seems to be perfect for me! much appreciated!

i forgot to ask, but what are the differences between Cherry Stream and the other non-mechanical Cherry keyboards, if you know?
 
I suggest you still check it out in a retail store in person if possible, just to be sure it really fits your needs and feels. I've needed a bit of adjustment since keys have a bit more resistance than on UltraX and was causing me to skip letters in words at first, because I wasn't pressing it hard enough. But now I have adjusted to it with use and I'm typing perfectly with it.
 
RejZoR said:
I suggest you still check it out in a retail store in person if possible, just to be sure it really fits your needs and feels. I've needed a bit of adjustment since keys have a bit more resistance than on UltraX and was causing me to skip letters in words at first, because I wasn't pressing it hard enough. But now I have adjusted to it with use and I'm typing perfectly with it.
Click to expand...

hmm, well, i dont exactly have the stores around here with keyboards and all, unfortunately. but seeing all the reviews, pictures, videos and such, makes me feel rather comfy about the buy. how did you "adjust" they keys to suit you better?

P4: ah, too bad. but now that i came across the above mentioned cherry keyboard, imma give that a go. and i also found out that the rapoos that have nordic keys on them, are like $100 or more... :/
 
update: i have decided to go for the 3.0 and simple give it a BLIND chance! based on above-mentioned sayings + additional reviews AND videos, i am even more convinced to go for the cherry 3.0!

once i will get the keyboard, i shall leave MY review of it. :)

thanks once again for all the suggestions, you all!
 
Yup, let us know what you think about it. I really like it and I regularly recommend it to people who sort of look for similar characteristics as I have.
 
yes, and i see WHY.. that looks absolutely stunning and perfect for my needs. my gf can easily hear this keyboard typing, but with the cherry, i believe she will think i've fell asleep on the chair.......... ;)

much appreciated!

ps: how did you "adjust" the keys to suit your fingers better..? you mentioned that, but im not sure how you did it.. care to explain?
 
UPDATE: after some suggestions on various keyboards, i ultimately landed on the suggested keyboard named CHERRY STREAM 3.0 - and wow! what an a-m-a-z-i-n-g keyboard this is!! the feel is just great, the keys fit me so good, it's even more quiet than apples keyboard, they keys are as small as they should be AND it was surprisingly CHEAP compared to other keyboards! and nice bonuses (for me): it contains USEFUL shortkeys/media keys which i use frequently. the quality feels stunningly great, which again results in the keyboard being rather heavy comparing to my other "old" keyboards, not that it's such a bad thing, tbh. the only but yet so small negative thing i can point out with this is the fact that the lighting for the lock-buttons is VERY bright, so when you are watching a movie, they certainly are making its strong shine. i do believe there might be a way to fix that, though. i just havent gotten that far yet. OVERALL: this keyboard is the BEST keyboard i've had AND tried so far for my purposes! probably one of the best all-around keyboards there is under $50. totally worth the blind buy i did, and i have suggested the keyboard to my friends who are also looking for an excellent keyboard, which is what cherry stream 3.0 is! totally recommended and worth the wait!!
 
Sounds like it worked out well especially for the price.

If they had that keyboard with basic back lighting for all keys I'd be sold. I am still using my ancient Logitech G15 and it's been great but its age is starting to become more than a visual thing. But having a quieter keyboard would be a huge plus for the wife and back lighting for me so I can see my keys in the dark! :D
 
you are absolutely right. the ability to switch on and off the backlight easily is what this keyboard is lacking, otherwise it would've been more or less the "perfect" keyboard under $50. is there even such a keyboard by cherry, perhaps? nonetheless, i am still more than happy with this buy, without a sheer doubt!
 
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