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FiringSquad Keyboard Guide
November 10, 1998   Dennis Thresh Fong > [View My Other Articles]
Kenn Hwang > [View My Other Articles]
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More Recommended Keyboards

Thresh's comments in BLACK

Kenn's comments in BLUE

Kenn:
These are the "clickiest" keyboards you'll find. Using a patented "buckle-spring" method, the keys on the Lexmark are a little harder to press than the Avant Stellar or Northgate, but feel much more solid. Some have complained that they keys are a bit too hard to press down, but if you've grown used to them, they're a pleasure to work with. Unfortunately, I don't believe these keyboards are being manufactured anymore as well (good things just don't seem to last nowadays). As noted before, the keycaps are removable, so if you ever get the urge to switch to some weird layout, such as the surprisingly popular Dvorak keyboard, the IBM will suit you perfectly. This is the keyboard I use, and it's about 10 years old now, a testament to its toughness. If it ever breaks, I'll probably spring for an Avant Stellar or Omnikey if I can find one.

http://www.lexmark.com/

Lifetime Series Designer - Keytronic
Thresh:
If you're not ready to spend a couple hundred bucks on a keyboard, the Keytronic Lifetime Series Designer Keyboard is a darn good choice. The keys feel crisp, but are softer to the touch and quieter than tactile-click keyboards. It's made of high quality plastic, and doesn't bend like its lower-end cousins. No left function keys on this puppy, but its high-quality feel makes up for its lack of features. The keyboard only comes in black, which can be an added bonus or a drawback depending on the rest of your system. If you're looking for a no-frills, high-quality keyboard, check out the Keytronic Lifetime Series Designer keyboard.

http://www.keytronic.com/designer.stm

Keytronic Lifetime
Keytronic Lifetime Designer

Focus 2001 - Focus Electronics

Kenn:
A couple years ago Focus used to make excellent keyboards. Their Focus 9000 keyboard was relatively well made, had a good tactile feel, dual function keys, and a built in calculator- all for under $50. Unfortunately, they discontinued that model when they switched their product line to include the Win95 keys. Their new line of keyboards are stylish, but have a mushy, unresponsive feel. The Focus 2001 is the only keyboard from their original lineup that is still being manufactured. The Focus 2001 is a basic, no-frills keyboard, but has a solid mechanical-click tactile feel and is very durable. The keyboard's main drawback is its hideous plastic cover which is supposed to double as a paper/file holder, but fortunately is removable. (I always throw away the cover) Priced around $20, the keyboard a good deal for gamers looking for a solid budget keyboard. I had one for a few years, but eventually three keys broke on me (that's when I picked up the old-school Lexmark I'm currently using). I do think it's due more to having huge ogre-like friends banging on it while trying to play Doom rather than shoddy construction, but you've been warned.

http://www.focus-usa.com/fk2001.htm

Focus 2001
Focus 2001

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I am an AMD AgentRead this Media-Blog entry!» Clive Barker's Jericho Review (Round 2) (6)
by jacobvandy (922) Talk with this user on their Shout Box (My other blogs) Posted 23 months ago
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Phenom II Gets A New Revision: 125W AMD Phenom II X4 965 Performance Preview
Phenom II Gets A New Revision: 125W AMD Phenom II X4 965 Performance Preview
Promising lower power consumption, lower temps, and most importantly for enthusiasts, more OC'ing, AMD is back with a new CPU revision for the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, which now boasts a 125W TDP. Is AMD able to deliver on their promises though? Find out in today's article!
Nov 3, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]
Shattered Horizon Review
Shattered Horizon Review
FutureMark, well known for their popular 3DMark benchmarks, is venturing into new territory with Shattered Horizon. This multiplayer shooter is perhaps best known for its system requirements -- the game supports DX10 only -- but there's more underneath the surface of this game than fancy visuals. Is it worth its $20 price tag though? Read Vandy's take inside!
Nov 2, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]
Borderlands PC Review
Borderlands PC Review
Is it an RPG or is it an FPS? Borderlands blends the best elements of both in one entertaining package. Vandy has spent the past week playing the PC version of the game and came away rather impressed. Read his full thoughts on the game in today's review!
Oct 29, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]
AMD Athlon II X3 435/Athlon II X2 240e Performance Preview
AMD Athlon II X3 435/Athlon II X2 240e Performance Preview
Today AMD is introducing 8 new Athlon II CPUs intended to service different segments of the budget CPU market. For HTPC users, new 45W dual, triple, and quad core offerings should deliver good performance along with low power, while performance junkies on a budget will want to look at AMD's new Athlon II X3 CPUs. See how the new chips stack up in terms of performance and OC'ing in this article!
Oct 19, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]
EVGA P55 FTW Review
EVGA P55 FTW Review
Looking for a good P55 motherboard to OC your CPU beyond 4GHz? If so, you may want to check out EVGA's P55 FTW. With its extra ATX12V connector, this motherboard can send up to 600W of juice to the CPU, and it's got more voltage settings in BIOS than 95% of the general public needs. But that's just barely scratching the surface of what this board can do. Check out today's review for the full details!
Oct 16, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]
ATI Radeon HD 5770/5750 Performance Preview
ATI Radeon HD 5770/5750 Performance Preview
With prices ranging from $109-$159, ATI's Radeon 5700 series of cards bring DX11 gaming to mainstream price points and usher in new levels of energy efficiency. But are they powerful enough to dethrone ATI's Radeon 4800 series cards? Yes and no. Read today's article for more info!
Oct 12, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Review
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Review
While it's not the true sequel to Operation Flashpoint, Dragon Rising is billed as a modern tactical sim just like its predecessor. Does it live up to these claims? Read Vandy's take in today's review!
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Batman: Arkham Asylum PhysX Features and Performance
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Oct 6, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]
ATI Radeon 5850 Performance Preview
ATI Radeon 5850 Performance Preview
Not everyone's got $400 to spend on a shiny new Radeon 5870 card, which is why it can be argued that ATI's Radeon 5850 is the more relevant GPU for a lot of gamers and hardware enthusiasts. Based on the same DX11 RV870 architecture as the 5870, the 5850 delivers next-generation performance in a smaller, more efficient package, and most importantly it's priced for less than $300. ATI pitches it as their answer to the GeForce GTX 285...See how it compares in this article!
Sep 29, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]
Overclocking the Radeon HD 5870
Overclocking the Radeon HD 5870
We weren't satisfied with the 900MHz core/1300MHz memory speeds we hit last week with our Radeon 5870 boards. We wanted to see how far ATI's latest flagship GPU could be pushed, and how well it could perform at those speeds. We also wanted to see which component delivered better performance results: OC'ing the memory, or OC'ing the GPU?

Fortunately thanks to AMD's GPU Clock Tool, we now have unlimited speeds on tap for OC'ing. Is 1GHz within reach? Find out in today's article!
Sep 28, 2009   [ View Similar Articles | View Comments ]





 Hottest Topics
Iwata admits the 'Wii has stalled' (50)
Modern Warfare 2 PC limited to 9v9 matches (26)
Are multi-console gamers shifting from 360 to PS3? (24)
RAGE won't support dedicated servers either (22)
Borderlands PC Review (19)
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