Keyboards are something gamers can quite easily forget about. A mouse that is not as smooth or accurate seems to be noticed a lot more than a keyboard. For this reason gaming keyboards are left overlooked unless you are a hardcore gamer looking to shave off those important input times.

Getting a better keyboard brings up a lot of questions. What type should I get; rubber dome or mechanical? If I go for mechanical what type of switches should I get, red switches or black ones? All the options and tech specs are a lot to take in over “this mouse looks nice, has a high DPI and good response time”.

Design wise the Logitech G910 Orion Spark mechanical keyboard is a very slick looking one, with a robust edge making it feel very solid in terms of build and quality. Weighing at about 1.3KG, the keyboard won’t move around in the most intense of gaming sessions. USB cable length is not normally a make or break point, but it is long enough for you to game at a distance, if you are into that sort of thing at around 1.8m. Unlike my G502 mouse the cable is not braided but wrapped in a thick plastic coating which can be less durable than the braided variety.

In comparison to other gaming keyboards I have tested, the G910 on the smaller side. With 113 keys including the macro keys and media controls you should have all the buttons you need without all the gimmicky bells and whistles.

W, S, A and D keys are marked differently and other frequently used keys that most gamers will use the most and have a raised edge around the top and two sides of the key to reduce slipping. All other keys feature the same raised edge on just the sides.

9 G keys are located at the top left corner of the keyboard and function as macro keys with three memory settings and a on board macro record key. Also, the Logitech gaming software has a database of the latest games with prebuild profiles that you can drag and assigned to each G key. I was surprised by the amount of games that were featured in the database with such newer titles like Titanfall being included but not as up to date as the newly released Dragon Age Inquisition.

The G910 has many colour variations and lighting effects to choose from with the LED backlighting, which can be controlled in the Logitech gaming software. The only downside to the lighting was it comes at one brightness, with there being no option either on the keyboard or in the software to change the levels.

The media keys do as they should and the volume roller I find is a nicer alternative than the usual two volume up and down buttons on other keyboards. The Game Mode key allows you to turn off the windows key in game but I have never used it and mostly forget it even exists.

Arc Dock Release is a slot for you to put your mobile phone, which when connected to the Arx App,  shows vital PC information such as RAM, CPU usage and temperature on your phone. Having a Samsung Note 3, the dock was probably not designed for such a big phone but still sat quite nicely albeit looking a bit out of place. The G910 does not feature any built in USB ports which from a design perspective was strange as the keyboards feature was to use your mobile but it couldn’t be connected/charged at the same time. There is also a lack of applications for the Arx Control App with only the default Logitech one being available up to this point. This is always a problem with custom applications that rely on third party development for additional applets for different games.

Coming from a rubber dome keyboard I noticed the key differently from the first press. Logitech’s G910 keyboard has their own Romer G switches that are meant to last 70 million key presses and each press is light, fairly quiet for a mechanical keyboard and acutely responsive. The only difference I saw from other mechanical keyboards is the lack of ‘click’ other switches like the Cheery Red or blues would give you. You might be thinking, is 70 million a lot or not? For the c asual or semi hardcore gamer it should technically last you years. As for a hardcore gamer, 70 million presses may not be enough, especially for a dedicated MOBA player. While this is something to consider, this keyboard will help up your game, improve your response time and polish your skills.

Testing it in a few different games I noticed the difference from my other keyboard. Moving around in an FPS felt more accurate and each key press I felt responded in game how I wanted. Since using the Orion Spark keyboard my K/D has increased and has steadily improved over using a previous keyboard.

Typing on the G910 is surprisingly easy. Due to the low actuation, keys only need to be lightly pressed to get a response making it feel very accurate. There was also no ghosting at all, all keys are able to be press at once if you have enough fingers. With the added G keys tied into the Logitech gaming software, using the keyboard is comfortable as well as multifunctional.

Overall, the Logitech G910 Orion Spark G910 is a solid mechanical keyboard that has not only be designed for the hard core gamer but also for casual gamers looking to up their game. Responsive, robust and highly customisable, it is something that you can hang onto for a long time, especially with those 70 million key presses. Costing at £160, it is a hefty investment though for the average gamer and is not as accessible due to the high price. The lack of USB ports on a keyboard designed to be paired with a phone is an odd exclusion but if it is within your budget though the G910 is definitely a keyboard to consider.