If you just want to start playing games on your laptop then I am sure that one question would come to your mind whether a laptop keyboard is good for gaming or you should buy an external gaming keyboard.
Well, this is one of the most common questions that is asked by many people and therefore, I am here with this article to make this confusion clear. Another concern of the users while playing games using a laptop keyboard is how playing games can affect the keyboard’s lifespan like its ergonomics, response time, and its performance.
Whether a laptop keyboard is good for gaming or not mainly depends upon the type of keyboard of your laptop. The reason behind this is that apart from a gaming laptop’s keyboard, normal laptop’s keyboards come with a membrane keyboard which can’t be able to handle the stress of heavy gaming like repeating, pressing, and holding some keys.
Actually, normal laptop keyboards are specially built for using day to day tasks like typing which doesn’t need any repetitive or forceful pressing of keys. And when we are using normal laptop keyboards for regular gaming then there is a high chance that they get damaged.
Gaming laptop’s keyboards are specially built for gaming and this is why it is good, also they can be able to handle intense gaming without any failure. For instance, some high-end gaming laptops including MSI GT83 Titan, Razer Blade Pro, and Gigabyte’s Aorus 17 come with a mechanical keyboard which is strong and more durable than a membrane keyboard that is mostly used in normal laptops.
Apart from the durability, mechanical keyboards have faster response time and are also more tactile as compared to membrane keyboards. On top of that, it also makes a clicky sound and sensation when the key is pressed so that it gives feedback to the user for input has been registered.
Contents
Are Laptop Keyboards Good For Gaming?
1. Laptop’s Keyboard Damage By Gaming
The major reason normal laptop keyboards get damaged is that they are not built for any stressful activity like repetitive or forceful key pressing.
On top of that, how much your laptop keyboard last long mainly depends on a few factors such as its overall quality, how frequently it is being used, and most important how forcefully the key is pressed.
If your laptop keyboards get damaged then you may experience some of the following issues:
- Key is getting stuck after it has been pressed
- Key is falling out
- Some keys properly register the input while other fails
2. Purchase An External Gaming Keyboard For Your Laptop
If you are playing games on a normal laptop then you should definitely go for an external gaming keyboard because it’s not comfortable for gaming and the next thing is that it can’t be able to enhance performance and ergonomics as you would like to.
The reason behind going with an external mechanical gaming keyboard is that its keys can give better feedback and faster response time as compared to a normal laptop keyboard.
In addition, if you’ll go with a combo of gaming keyboard and mouse then you can do gaming comfortably by sitting a little far away on your gaming chair without maintaining a slouched position during gaming for a long.
Actually, if you regularly do gaming with no breaks for a long in slouching position then it affects badly on your posture and it happens during competitive intense gaming.
The best part is that replacing in built keyboard with an external keyboard is very easy as you can connect it via USB or Bluetooth. In addition, you can choose a keyboard according to your choice and you don’t have to worry about the model and brand.
The reason behind most of pro gamers recommend for mechanical keyboards apart from the above advantages is that they provide different kinds of key or switch types like Omron switches or Cherry MX series which allow you to customize keys which suits for your gaming.
Besides this, mechanical keyboards are heavy in weight as compared to membrane keyboards and this is one of the reasons which makes them sturdier. If we talk about the disadvantage of purchasing an external gaming keyboard is that it adds extra cost and also the keys are louder as compared to membrane keyboards.
3. Performance Effect Of Using An External Gaming Keyboard
Using an external gaming keyboard does not affect in performance as it is not a resource hungry like an external monitor. There are many high-end gaming laptops which can provide the same performance even if you have connected several external gaming peripherals.
For instance, apart from a gaming keyboard, you can also connect some gaming peripherals like a gaming mouse, headphones, and cooling pad but still, you can’t feel any kind of performance drop.
Moreover, if you have a gaming laptop with a less powerful hardware configuration and also planning to use an external monitor then it can surely affect in performance because it engages processor and graphics card both.
4. How To Connect An External Gaming Keyboard To A Laptop
Well, we all know that there are two kinds of gaming keyboards are available such as wired and wireless.
So, a wired keyboard can connect via a USB cable and it is very easy to connect. You just only need to do is take the USB cable of your keyboard and connect it to your laptop’s USB port.
When it comes to external wireless gaming keyboard then it uses infrared or radio frequency which is Bluetooth. It helps to connect a gaming keyboard to your laptop by using its USB dongle. To make it work, you need to connect its USB dongle to your laptop’s USB port and that’s it, you are all done.
Also, you need to keep in mind that to make it power up and use a wireless external gaming keyboard it requires a rechargeable or replacement battery because it doesn’t have any physical connection to your laptop.
Final Verdict
All in all, the external gaming keyboard is sturdy, durable, and gives a better gaming experience as compared to a laptop keyboard. If you are planning to play games frequently on your normal laptop then it is good to purchase an external gaming keyboard.
If we compare then an external gaming laptop keyboard provides many options to choose from than a normal laptop keyboard and if anything gets damaged then also it is easier to replace.
Also, as I have told you earlier if you’ll go with a combo of gaming keyboard and mouse then apart from gaming it helps to improve your sitting position and you can do a long gaming session without any backache.
In addition, playing games with a gaming mouse will also give a better gaming experience as it provides accuracy as compared to a laptop’s touchpad. For instance, it happens in the case of playing FPS games such as PUBG, Overwatch, Call of Duty, etc. where precision is very important.
Hello! I am Robbin Simmond a senior editor & writer of this blog. By profession, I am a computer hardware engineer with a passion for gaming and technology. With a deep understanding of the intricate workings of computers, I have spent years researching and testing the latest advancements in gaming laptops.
“Great read! I’ve always wondered about this. As someone who occasionally enjoys gaming on their laptop, I found your insights really helpful. It’s good to know the pros and cons, and it’ll definitely influence my future laptop choices. Thanks for breaking it down!”