Evoworks - Evo75

Get the Evo75 and call it a day my guy.

\> What is a good gaming keyboard (wired) to use as a starting base? Do you want a gaming focused board or a custom board?? Because these 2 are very different. If you want a CUSTOM board that can game, get an Evo80/75 for that budget. However, if you wish to buy a "base" - a barebone kit I suppose, then get the TKD Pt.1/75 for 75% or the Neo80 CU for TKL 80% \> Can I use individually purchased switches on any keyboard? As long as they are the same type. Mechanical switches need to go with mechanical/TMR keyboards. Hall effect switches need to go with HE/TMR keyboards. Optical switches need optical keyboards. Low profile switches need low profile keyboards. \> Can I use custom caps on any switch/keyboard? Yes. Keycaps exist for a reason. The only requirement is make sure they are using MX style (having a cross stem) and the set can fully fill that board's layout.

Evo75. Great starter board.

Something like a prebuilt Evo75/80 or wobkey boards like Zen65, Crush80 is fine.

evo80/evo 75 but if you were looking for something with the dedicated macro keys there are not really options like that on the l3 he is really limited to linear switches. there are few tactile switch options because whats the point of adjustable actuation if you cant change where the bump is and i would say it doesn't do much for regular everyday typing. and it really does depend for gaming would you really need it for games if you play like slower paced single player games

HE keyboards only really benefit those playing competitive FPS games, looking for every bit of advantage they can get - even then unless you're an elite player, it's often overkill. There are plenty of 75% mechanical boards that would suit your needs just fine. A couple "mid range" mechanical boards, for food for thought would be the Womier SK75, Wobkey Rainy 75, Bridge 75 or Evo75.

Bridge 75 plus has a bigger battery, per key RGB, an FR4 plate vs PC, and more dampening foam for better acoustics. For best out of the box, either the Rainy 75 or Evo75, listen to Youtube sound tests for both if acoustics matter to you - all the boards listed are hot swap, so you can swap switches to your liking for better type feel, actuation force, and sound. Be it linear, tactile, or clicky. In short - Evo75 is the more premium option of those listed, so if they're around the same price, I'd spring for the Evo. Easier disassembly, better internals, tons of colour options etc. There's also the Evo80 if you'd prefer an 80% layout, with slightly better build quality, and no raised front lip like on the 75.

has the lack of qmk compatibility ever been an issue for you? I just got the 75 and I adore it but I have so much fomo rn

Evo75, evo80, crush80, bridge75 and rainy75 would all be decent options in this price bracket if you want prebuilt. Personally I’d lean towards the Evo75 because I think it’s basically the best pre-built you can buy right now, but I know there have been some problems with the ISO layout.

Do not buy keyboards from name brands. Instead, buy something like the rainy75, evo75, or the aula f75. Chinese brands have already taken over the keyboard market 2 years ago, name brands just make old mx style mechanical keyboards that suck and dont even have hotswap.

Don't buy overpriced crap from the big PC peripheral brands. Try Evo80 or Evo75. Probably the best pre-built keyboards on the market. Bridge75 and Crush 80 Reboot Pro are also great options.

If you want mechanical (usually more satisfying sound, less expensive to customize and more options to do it) - try Evo75, Evo80, Akko/Monsgeek series, Keychron/Lemokey, Womier, similar. Most of them being hot-swappable will allow you try switches with different weights or sound profiles if you don't like or get bored of existing ones. If you play competitive video games at higher ranks - might want to look into HE (Hall Effect) keyboards. They are currently not as customisable and more expensive (switches are expensive, less choice and sometimes depends on the keyboard model), and may not sound as great as a good budget mechanical. Some of the companies listed above also have HE models, there's also more premium offerings, like Hex80. For these items in Europe, check shops like MonacoKeys, Coffeekeys, CandyKeys, KeyGem, MaxGaming, AkkoGear de or eu.

I really enjoy the evo75 or evo80 keyboards around 170, both are fully pre built and good options with choices of different colors to match your setup. Womier sk75 or something like aula75 are good cheaper pre built options. You also should mention what key layout you'd want since I saw 75 to full sized on your list.

mechanical boards don't really suffer the same issue as hall effect because firmware doesnt have the same requirements (you just want something with qmk/via) But rainy75's qc is pretty bad, evo75 is cool if you need a prebuilt 75 and want a foamed up soundsig, but personally i'd wait for the upcoming neo75 and do a custom build