You can’t call yourself a gamer without having a gaming keyboard. It’s like calling yourself a boxer without owning a pair of boxing gloves – I mean, who does that?
Although gaming keyboards can be quite expensive to purchase for some, its longevity should make it worth it in the long run. The question, then, is how long do gaming keyboards last? This article is written exactly just to answer that question!
Gaming Keyboards are also called Mechanical Keyboards, hardly get delivered at a low price. The typical price of a gaming keyboard ranges between $50 and $150.
Realistically speaking though, mechanical keyboards tend to last for quite a long time for such pricey amounts, although you can get unlucky and buy one that only lasts for a week.
Yes, it can happen. Part of the good thing is that how well you manage and take care of your keyboard affects its lifespan considerably, along with the keyboard’s innate consistency
How Long do Gaming Keyboards Last?
Regular gaming keyboards have the lifespan of 5-20 years on average. That means that the longest possible time (on average) that you can use your keyboard is around two decades of your life. Even for the price of 150 dollars, I would say that is quite worth it.
How Long do Mechanical Gaming Keyboards Last?
If you want to base the longevity of mechanical keyboards on number of keystrokes, well, these types of keyboards last for as long as around 50 million keystrokes. That is about five times the amount of keystrokes that regular keyboards can handle.
Good brands, especially, can last a gamer even longer than that.
What Is The Difference Between A Mechanical And A Typical Keyboard?
There are several differences between a mechanical keyboard and a typical one, but there are three key difference to be mentioned.
First, and perhaps needless to say considering the price difference, mechanical keyboards are much more durable than regular keyboards. The design of a mechanical keyboard is done to provide a better typing experience with satisfying precision and responsiveness.
Compared to regular keyboards, gaming keyboards come with a wider range of customization space, and users will be glad to have the option to customize their own according to their own taste and preferences.
Normal keyboards do not even let users the slightest customization , but if that’s what you prefer, it’s okay, too.
Finally, mechanical keyboards are noisier than non-mechanical keyboards. The reason for this is in the very mechanism of which they were designed to work. This can be a turn-off for users who do not want this attribute to cause disturbance to others.
Why do Mechanical Keyboards Last Longer than Usual Keyboards?
The answer to why mechanical keyboards last longer is in its material and design. The individual key switches of these keyboards are more durable compared to membrane or rubber dome switches that make up most other keyboards.
What this means is that keys on a mechanical keyboard can take more hits before its responsiveness fails.
Also, mechanical keyboards use materials of higher quality to make it. For instance, the keycaps are usually crafted out of ABS or PBT plastic, compared to the cheaper but less durable PVC plastic used to design non-gaming keyboards. It also helps that mechanical keyboards are easier to repair in case of damage. Finally, mechanical keyboards undergo stricter quality control standards.
Since, manufacturers keep in mind that these are made of professional use, they are more careful in ensuring that the keyboard perform at high standards in terms of quality, durability, and reliability.
Does Playing Games or Typing too Much Damage the Keyboard?
If you mainly use a regular keyboard for typing, it would hardly do any damage in considerable time since the presses done on the key are varied.
Gamers, however, focus on particular keys when gaming, including the WASD buttons, as well as the numerical key nearest to it, and the shift and space bar. These keys may find so many clicks unbearable over time.
Mechanical keyboards, though, are a different story. These keyboards are designed mainly for gaming. As these are found to be rated for millions of key presses on each, the user is less likely to face problems that he would otherwise face with regular-type keyboards.
Are Gaming Keyboards Worth It?
A gaming keyboard may be worthwhile if it has the right features, such as an N-Key rollover, a wired interface, and mechanical switches. The majority of the extra features included on a gaming keyboard aren’t specifically made to enhance your gaming abilities, but they can be useful and rewarding, too.
How do I Know That I Need a New Keyboard?
You may decide whether to buy a new keyboard on a number of things. Of course, the primary reason anyone buys a new keyboard is to replace an old, unusable one.
However, if your keyboard’s functionality is not to your liking anymore, you can replace it right away to buy a new, more functional keyboard that you can use for a better gaming experience.
Remember that dust bits can accumulate and slow down you keyboard’s functionality if not cleaned regularly over time. It can be a real problem and what makes it worse is that it can be prevented with a very simple solution: brushing and removing dirt from your keyboard regularly.
It was already stated above that keyboard maintenance is one of the factors that decide its lifespan, so best to keep that in mind.
How Long do Gaming Keyboards Last? Final Thoughts
Gamers feel obligated to spend a lot of money on their Gaming PC setup, as well as all of the accessories that go with it. Mechanical keyboards of good quality does not come cheap.
This makes it all the more important to know the benefits that come with the price of the product, including how long do gaming keyboards last. Even if you use your gaming keyboard frequently for typing and gaming, on average, standard gaming keyboards can last between 5 and 20 years.
In this article, we covered everything we think you need to know about the lifespan of a gaming keyboard, and we hope we were able to help you decide on your next purchase of a brand new one.
If you enjoyed this article, check out our “How Long Should a Keyboard Last?” article here!
