razer keyboard lcd screen made in china

That all products are in fact made in china is obvious... That was not my real question. I was wondering WHO handles the manufacturing? is it for example Foxconn or a similar company? and if so who? That might also give an idea on why Razer can´t meet the demands from us the buyers.

It actually gives alot of input in the quality of the products, if you know WHO and WHERE they´re made IMO. At least I gain more perspective if I know that the factory in question is as good as Razer themself. We have a saying in sweden... A chain is only as good as the weakest link.

I think a lot of you guys agree with me that Razer design awesome stuff... but... I wanna know more about the actual guys that manufactures everything.

The Razer Switchblade, a small portable PC with a keyboard that can be customized for gaming, will first be released in China and feature games developed by one of the country"s" largest Internet companies, Tencent.

Razer, the U.S. company behind the gaming platform, made the announcement on Wednesday at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing. The company has touted the Razer Switchblade as a revolutionary product that will allow users to enjoy PC games on the fly.

The netbook-like device runs Windows 7 on Intel"s latest Atom processor, the Z670. While it can be used like any other PC, Razer built it for gaming. It has a 7-inch touch screen, and a programmable keyboard built over an LCD panel so that keyboard legends can be changed from a standard QWERTY layout to a gaming configuration, displaying specialized icons depending on what"s being played.

The Razer Switchblade was shown off in its conceptual stages at this year"s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. But now the product is being localized to meet the demands of Chinese gamers, said Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan.

The Razer Switchblade will ship with four games installed. Tencent, China"s largest online game provider and operator of the country"s most popular instant-messaging client, QQ, will supply the games. They may be offered in other markets when the Razer Switchblade goes on sale elsewhere, Tan said.

In developing the Razer Switchblade, the company also partnered with Intel, which wants to promote its low-power Atom processor chips. Intel has been involved in optimizing the device, and will help market the product for its eventual launch, said Brad Graff, an Intel director of marketing.

Razer provided no launch date for the device, saying only that more announcements will come soon over the course of the year. The device will be "affordable," Tan said.

The Varmilo VA87M and VA87M Mac are available with a variety of Cherry switches; if you don’t already know what kind of switches you like, we recommend Cherry MX Brown switches because they offer a satisfying tactile bump without making too much noise for a shared space. Our pick comes with a removable Mini-USB cable that’s easy to replace and a wire keycap puller for replacing or cleaning keys. These Varmilo keyboards aren’t fully programmable, but they have clearly labeled media keys, and you can customize a couple of functions.

We recommend tenkeyless keyboards—that is, models without a built-in number pad—because they’re more ergonomic and because most people don’t use a number pad frequently enough to justify the desk space it occupies. If you do need a number pad, you can get a separate numpad, such as the Leopold FC210TP, which you can move out of the way when you’re not using it.

The Leopold FC900R is almost identical to the FC750R, and we recommend it if you need a full-size keyboard with a built-in number pad.Dimensions:17.32 by 5.51 by 1.3 inchesConnection:Removable Mini-USB

If you do need a built-in number pad, the Leopold FC900R is the best option. It’s nearly identical to our runner-up, the Leopold FC750R, as it offers equally excellent build quality, it’s available with all the most popular switch types, and you can choose from a few different PBT keycap sets. Like the tenkeyless model, this keyboard has a removable Mini-USB cable and works on both Windows and Mac, but—also like the tenkeyless model—it has no labels on its media controls. (We don’t recommend the Varmilo VA108M, the full-size version of our top pick, because its case is significantly different and not as good as that of its tenkeyless sibling.)

If I were getting into mechanical keyboards for the first time today, I’d buy the tenkeyless Keychron C1 or the full-size Keychron C2. Both models offer surprisingly good build quality, provide an enjoyable typing experience, and have an attractive minimalist design—all uncommon features in this price range. Their lower-quality ABS keycaps feel thinner and more brittle to type on and are likely to wear out faster than the thicker PBT keycaps on our top picks, but keycaps are easy to replace if you want to do so. Both models are compatible with Windows and Mac, and they come with replacement keycaps for both operating systems. Another benefit: Swapping out switches on most mechanical keyboards requires equipment, expertise, and time to desolder all the old switches and solder in new ones, but if you want to try new switch types without soldering, Keychron will upgrade the standard circuit board in the C1 or the C2 to a hot-swappable version for $10. With a hot-swappable board, you can simply pull the switches out and snap new ones into place. At this writing, shipping from Keychron’s website starts at $20, but even with that added cost, the C1 and C2 are better than any similarly priced keyboards. (Certain models are also available from Amazon with Prime shipping.)

Unfortunately, availability is an issue with most great mechanical keyboards. Most are made in Taiwan or China and shipped to the United States in batches to be sold by specialty retailers. If our picks aren’t available with the switches or keycaps you want, you can preorder at MechanicalKeyboards.com, keep an eye on that seller’s incoming-shipments page, or set availability alerts on Amazon using a price tracker such as CamelCamelCamel or Keepa. We tested our picks against more readily available options and found that these models were of significantly higher quality and worth the effort to track down, but if you can’t wait that long, the other good keyboards we found during testing may be more readily available.

Let us begin this roundup of the best gaming keyboards with a tribute. The Roccat Vulcan, a mechanical favourite of both mine and former hardware ed Katharine’s, is no more. As sad as it is to see it go, we may take comfort in knowing its replacement, the Vulcan II Max, is also a totes ace keyboard, and that the original Vulcan is probably still on Amazon or something. It’s discontinued, not dead. Sheesh.

Along with the Vulcan II Max, this list is home to all our current top picks across the rainbow spectrum of (sometimes rainbow-lit) gaming keyboards. Those with mechanical or optical-mechanical key switches are often your best bet for tactility and durability, but if you want to stick to a tighter budget, there are some good membrane/rubber dome keyboards here as well. Have a think about which form factor you want, too. Full-size gaming keyboards will naturally have the widest range of remappable keys and media controls, but the space-saving qualities of tenkeyless, 65% and 60% designs aren’t to be overlooked, especially on small desks.

The Vulcan II Max also includes a keyboardified version of the Easy-Shift+ feature from some of Roccat’s gaming mice, like the Kone XP. This basically lets you add secondary functions to even more keys that wouldn’t normally support them, and create highly detailed custom layouts in Roccat’s Swarm software. Even if you ignore all this, however, it’s still a fabulous full-sizer that plays beautifully with simpler WASD fare. The lighter keycaps and springy response of the switches really makes it feel like your fingers can just dance over it.

I’m less enamoured with the translucent wrist rest, which is so floppy it becomes difficult to attach, and seems more concerned with emphasising the RGB light show than providing a comfortable texture. But the keyboard itself? That’s excellent.

This spot was previously filled by the Asus TUF Gaming K5, but that has vanished from reputable retailer sites, so it’s safe to say Asus has taken it ‘round the back with a bolt gun. At least there’s a worthy replacement in the Roccat Horde Aimo, which like the K5 marries the affordability and quietness of membrane keyboards with the swiftness and precision of mechanical switches.

The Horde Aimo has another rare quality too: its multifunctional Dial. Lots of keyboards have a little volume wheel, but Roccat’s Dial can scroll through web pages and documents, zoom in on the screen, or even act as an undo/redo input. On top of this keyboard’s very capable gaming performance, the Dial also grants it an unusual degree of flexibility for everyday browsing and working.

For those of you who"d rather have something cheap and cheerful that doesn"t make an absolute racket during daily use, you"ll probably want to stick with a membrane keyboard instead of a loud mechanical one, and our current best membrane gaming keyboard recommendation is the excellent Razer Cynosa Chroma. It"s also our first and foremost recommendation for those after an excellent budget gaming keyboard, too.

It"s a little more expensive than your typical membrane board, but you can really feel where the extra money"s gone. Not only is it more responsive than your average membrane keyboard, but it"s also got some decent gaming features such as RGB lighting and a special game mode that disables the Windows key. You can also use it to record your own macros - which you can"t do on the similarly-priced and almost-as-good HyperX Alloy Core RGB.

It"s also one of the more tasteful-looking gaming keyboards on this list, with its plain black chassis largely free of obnoxious logos and corporate stylings. Plus, since this is a membrane keyboard rather than a mechanical one, it"s also much quieter than practically every keyboard you"ll read here. If you"re looking to upgrade your existing membrane model without the full clickety-clack of a hybrid or mechanical keyboard, the Razer Cynosa is a great choice.

The Logitech G915 Lightspeed Wireless might be expensive, but by golly is it worth it. With its super slim aluminium frame, oleophobic key cap coating, gorgeous volume roller and dual-height adjustable feet, this is an outstanding piece of wireless gaming keyboard design.

Available in three different types of Logitech GL switches (clicky, tactile and linear), the G915 Lightspeed Wireless feels wonderful under your fingers, offering loads of tactile feedback and quick, sharp key presses. Logitech"s Lightspeed tech means it feels super responsive as well; Katharine reported it feeling just like using a traditional wired keyboard. The clicky version we were sent for review wasn"t too loud, either, making it nice and easy on the ears.

Optical-mechanical switches combine the keen feel of pure mech switches with the unbeatable speed of light-based actuation. As such, they’re ideal for games, and the Corsair K70 Pro is the best optical keyboard I’ve used to date.

I don’t entirely like that having the K70 Pro here means booting the Razer Huntsman V2 off the list entirely, as that’s also a very fine keyboard with optical switches that manage to be sound-dampened without feeling mushy. But Corsair’s board is cheaper, comes with a few extra dedicated controls, and in my hands at least, feels slightly more robust.

A condensed version of the original Roccat Vulcan, the Vulcan TKL Pro is another brilliant addition to Roccat"s mechanical keyboard family. It chops off the number pad for a more compact form factor, but still retains the same great build quality and Roccat"s fantastic Titan switches.

Roccat have opted for new optical versions of their proprietary Titan switch for the Vulcan TKL Pro, producing a much quieter gaming keyboard that doesn"t grate on the ears. It will likely still drive friends and family up the wall if they"re nearby, but not the same extent as conventional mech switches.

The Vulcan TKL Pro"s smaller size doesn"t mean it skimps on features, either, as you still get a lovely, tactile volume wheel and a dedicated microphone mute button. Roccat"s Swarm software also lets you add a secondary function to practically every key on the keyboard, too, giving you plenty of customisation options. It"s expensive, but if you"re after the finest tenkeyless keyboard around, it doesn"t get better than this. For a cheaper alternative, check out the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL below.

Other than its click-deprived membrane switches, the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL is pretty decked out for a keyboard that’s both a) cheap and b) intentionally missing a chunk. For one thing it’s got a set of dedicated media keys, in the form of a pause/play button and a volume wheel (that also mutes when pressed down). On the gaming side specifically, there’s full N-key rollover and easy macro recording, with the navigation keys doubling up for macro button duty.

The Ducky One 3 TKL has a whiff of the old-school about it, especially in its chunky chassis, but it’s really every bit the modern mechanical keyboard. That goes right down to the use of hot-swappable switches: with a puller tool you can painlessly yank out individual switches, not just the keycap on top, and just as easily slot in a different compatible switch. It’s a nicely beginner-friendly way of customising the feel and sound report of your keyboard without having to build one from scratch.

I love 65% form factor keyboards – they’re less space-hungry than even tenkeyless models, but still make room for dedicated arrow keys and a handful of navigation keys. My absolute favourite right how is the Roccat Vulcan II Mini, which shares the same agile-feeling half-height keycap design as its bulkier Vulcan cousins, while swapping in Roccat’s upgraded Titan II optical-mechanical switches.

These still trade travel depth for speed, so you’ll notice the shallower 1.4mm actuation distance if you’re more used to Cherry MX Reds or similar switches. But they really do feel lightning quick, and the Titan II iteration is a little smoother and fuller than the original Titan design. This new switch also makes room for secondary LEDs, which are put to good use on the Vulcan II Mini: hold down the Function key, and any key with a secondary input will glow a different colour. Doubling-up duties is a necessity on compact keyboards, so this is a nice touch that could help you acclimatise if you’re more used to full-size boards.

There are cheaper 60% form factor keyboards than the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless. I won’t lie: much cheaper ones. Fortunately, you’re not exactly paying more for less. Between its reliable wireless connectivity, hot-swappable mechanical switches, nicely textured keycaps, full RGB lighting, extensive macro support, media controls, and N-key rollover, it’s an impressively robust gaming keyboard that matches plenty of larger alternatives on features.

Personally, I’m too reliant on arrow keys to permanently convert to a 60% model, but there’s just something comfortable about using the K70 Pro Mini Wireless. It doesn’t feel too cramped for typing (especially with that full-height Enter key, which not all 60% keyboards have) and despite having both mechanical keys and a battery adding weight, it’s as light as a wireless keyboard should be. The unit I tested came with Cherry MX Red switches, which feel fast and stable, though you can swap these any time – and on a per-key basis – if you want to try customising the feel and sound report.

Media controls, USB 2.0 pass-through, and on-the-fly macro recording further fill out the features list on an already multitalented keyboard. Far more customisations (and RGB syncing settings) are available within the ROG Armoury Crate software, though this is one area that still needs some work; it"s not terribly easy to navigate.

Truly cheap mechanical keyboards are rare, so it’s always nice to see efforts like the Logitech G413 SE. This does jettison quite a few of the original G413’s premium features, including macro recording, but the result is an affordable, clean-looking mech board that’s more than capable in most games. In fact, I used it as my main keyboard for several weeks.

The switches are tactile, with a subtle bump at the actuation point, but they don’t click so loudly as to distract or penetrate through headphones – a good combination for games and everyday typing alike. 6-key rollover is also enough to handle speedy WASD-slamming without delays, and the chunky keycaps avoid the overly delicate feel of some lower-priced keyboards. There’s no audible metallic pinging/resonance to keypresses either, a common design flaw that can annoy even on much more expensive mech models.

The first thing you need to decide is whether you want a mechanical gaming keyboard or a membrane one. Generally, mechanical keyboards are better for gaming due to their fast, clean movements and their short actuation points (that"s when the keyboard actually registers you"ve pressed down a key). They are, however, more expensive, often commanding prices of at least £100 / $120 if not significantly more. They"re more durable than membrane keyboards, though, and are (in theory) easier to repair as you only need to replace the individual switch instead of chucking out the entire keyboard.

Membrane keyboards, on the other hand, are usually a lot quieter and cheaper than their mechanical counterparts because they"re made from less expensive materials. However, his in turn makes them more prone to breaking and are generally a bit of a pain to fix. Given their low price, it"s often easier to just to buy a brand-new one.

If you do decide to opt for a mechanical keyboard, the next thing to decide is what type of switch you want. Most gaming keyboards tend to use the German-made Cherry MX switches, but you"ll occasionally see other types from Kailh and Outemu, or in the case of Logitech and Razer, their own in-house switches. Broadly speaking, though, they tend to fall into one of two categories: linear or tactile.

We"re also starting to see more Kailh or Kaihua switches appear on mechanical keyboards, too. These are made in China and the most common linear models are Kailh Reds, which are very similar to Cherry MX Reds, and Speed Silvers, which as you might have guessed is Kailh"s answer to Cherry"s MX Silver. You"ll also find tactile Kailh Browns and Blues, but they"ve got a few more tactile "Speed" variants, too, including Speed Bronze and Speed Copper. These are less common, but are a lot more "clicky" (i.e.: noisy) than their linear Speed Silver counterparts.

Outemu switches are also made in China, and again, largely correspond to what you"ll find in the Cherry MX camp. They"re generally found in budget gaming keyboards and come in very similar colours: Red, Blue, Brown, and Black. Outemu Black switches are linear, like Reds, but have a much heavier actuation force, so you"ll need to press it down harder in order for a keystroke to register.

Razer, on the other hand, have a completely different colour scheme to Cherry, Kailh, and Outemu. They only have one linear type (Yellow) and two tactile types (Green and Orange). Yellows are closest to Cherry"s MX Speed Silver switches, while Greens are effectively the same as Cherry MX Blues. Orange, meanwhile, are Razer"s answer to MX Brown switches.

An increasing variety of gaming keyboards now include hot-swappable mechanical switches, so if you decide you don"t like the feel or sound of the default switches, you can remove and replace them yourself with a simple puller tool and no need to open up the chassis of the keyboard itself. Switches don"t universally fit every hot-swap-compatible keyboard, but a lot of Cherry and Kailh switches will fit into the same socket, you"ll have plenty of choice. You"ll have to find and pay for replacement switches yourself, mind.

Which are the best mechanical keyboards on the market? That was the question I tried to answer in our feature on whether mechanical keyboards are good for gaming, and how they became popular in the first place. I ended that piece with three keyboard recommendations, but the response to the article made it clear that you wanted to see more recommendations for different use-cases than we considered - particularly full-fat gaming keyboards with features like macro and media keys, programmable RGB lighting and game-state integration or quieter models that can be used in a busy office.

We"ve updated this article as of fall 2022 after testing more than three dozen new keyboards, adding new options for wireless and low profile models, modular keyboards offering deep customisation and high-end premium keyboards with unique features and eye-catching designs. Whether you"re looking for the ultimate gaming keyboard, a surprisingly solid budget offering or just something to code on, we"ve got you covered. Let"s take a look at the ten best mechanical keyboards on the market, all tried and tested by Digital Foundry.

Note: The pictures of each keyboard show either a UK or US layout, but I"ve linked to the appropriate regional layout wherever possible - so don"t worry if you see a keyboard with a different-sized Enter key than what you"re used to!

Click the links below to jump right into the category you"re most interested in. We"ve chosen keyboards for programming, gaming, building yourself and much more, so take a look. If you"re not sure, scroll on to browse our full selection of recommendations!Best full-size gaming keyboard: Corsair K95 Platinum XT

When it comes to mechanical keyboards, few can match Corsair"s high-end models for pure depth of features. The £190/$158 full-fat K95 Platinum XT keyboard has super-programmable RGB backlighting and edge lighting that can reflect in-game stats, plus dedicated macro, volume and media controls, a USB port and a plush wrist rest. The actual typing experience hasn"t been forgotten either, with a wide range of switches - including hard-to-find MX Speed options alongside more usual Cherry switches. The keyboard is well-built too, with an aluminium chassis and PBT keycaps that should provide excellent longevity. Of course, everything comes at a cost - and for the K95 Platinum XT, that includes a substantial footprint and a premium price tag.

Thankfully, a cheaper option is also available. The £156/$160 K70 RGB Pro offers its own advantages - namely an 8000Hz polling rate of interest to competitive, high-refresh-rate gamers and a detachable USB-C cable - but comes without the macro keys, USB passthrough and the added RGB lighting strip of the K95 Platinum XT. Given that you still get the same core features like a full-size layout, PBT keycaps and excellent RGB lighting, the K70 RGB Pro is a strong alternative - especially as more price drops are likely to come as the keyboard gets a bit older.Best compact mechanical keyboard: Fnatic Streak 65

The £95/$110 Fnatic Streak 65 is our new favourite compact keyboard, offering all of the functionality you need for competitive games in a small, convenient form factor that gives you plenty of space for your mouse and superior ergonomics. The keyboard uses Fnatic"s own silent, linear and low profile "speed" mechanical switches, allowing extremely rapid key presses and making double-taps easier. The layout is slightly wider than the 60 percent size Razer Huntsman Mini below, but adds dedicated arrow keys and four programmable keys - I think most people will benefit from these inclusions. As well as not taking up much desk space, a 22mm height and 420g weight means that this keyboard will fit in a bag or even the front pocket of a hoodie easily. The compact dimensions and aluminium frame contribute to a very sturdy feel too.

Beyond the form factor, Fnatic have done well to nail the details here as well. The stabilisers on larger keys are pre-lubed for silent and easy operation, the USB-C port is offset to the left to ensure the cable doesn"t interfere with your mouse and the legends on each keycap are inscribed with a legible font that feels more grown-up than those on most gaming keyboards. The switch housings are even transparent and two extra LEDs are embedded beneath the space bar to ensure that the customisable RGB lighting is evenly distributed throughout the board. I particularly liked the inclusion of a "competition mode", which sets to the lighting to dim orange and locks the Windows key.

None of these are dealbreakers, but considered together they represent the only minor forthcomings I have about recommending this narrow keyboard to a wide audience. Altogether, this new tiny Streak is every bit as easy to love as its bigger brothers and certainly among the best gaming keyboards on the market.Best 60% mechanical keyboard: Razer Huntsman Mini

The 60 percent size is a favourite of mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, but one that saw remarkably little attention from major gaming brands before 2020. Now, we"ve found enough great examples to dedicate a whole article to the best 60 percent keyboards, but for now let"s focus on one: the £83/$90 Razer Huntsman Mini.

Like other 60 percent boards, there"s no f-key row, no num-pad, no nav cluster and no arrow keys. That results in a beautifully clean keyboard that takes up minimal desk space, while still allowing access to the excised functions via a Function layer. As 60 percent is an aesthetic as much as a practical choice, it"s nice to see Razer offer both black and white colour options for the keyboard"s chassis and keycaps - and a completely standard layout that allows for custom keycap sets to be installed. Similarly, it"s great to see a removable USB-C cable, allowing fans to install custom-made cables to further customise their board.

Of course, the Huntsman Mini doesn"t get a spot on our list just for looking nice. It also feels great to use, with Razer"s individually-stabilised optical switches delivering consistent feedback with minimal key wobble. We tested a unit with soft linear red switches with a 1mm actuation distance and 40g actuation force, but clicky purple switches with a 1.5mm actuation distance and 45g actuation force are also offered. The keycaps themselves are also unusually high quality, made from PBT with shine-through legends, so they feel great and won"t succumb to the shiny patches that can afflict lower-quality ABS keycaps.

As well as these unique switches, the Huntsman Mini also sets itself apart with its Synapse software, which allows you to set intricate custom lighting modes - something impossible on keyboards that can only switch between a few preset effects. You can also synchronise your lighting with other RGB-encrusted Razer peripherals or supported Razer Chroma games, which is a nice bonus.Best wireless keyboard: Logitech G915 TKL

The £143/$210 Logitech G915 TKL is the fusion of two growing trends from the very companies that promulgated them: dependable, low-latency wireless connectivity from Logitech and low-profile, laptop-like mechanical switches from Kailh. The combination is an impressive one, allowing the construction of an ultra-thin keyboard for gaming and typing that feels great to use and looks super clean on your desk - especially in this new compact form factor. There are three low profile switch types offered here right off the bat - clicky, tactile and linear - so you can opt for the amount of tactile and audible feedback that makes sense to you.

The Lightspeed wireless connection worked perfectly in our testing, providing the same wired feel as Logitech"s G Pro Wireless gaming mouse. Battery life was also strong, at around 40 hours with backlighting at max brightness - ten more hours than the full-size G915. (If you turn down the backlight, the G915 TKL manages over a thousand hours!) Bluetooth is also available, which adds more latency but allows the keyboard to work with devices like phones and tablets; it"s possible to switch between Bluetooth and Lightspeed connections with a press of a button which makes it a convenient companion for a smartphone, iPad or laptop without a full-size USB port.

If you prefer the feel of full-height mechanical switches, the £154/$230 Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro is your best bet. It sports a gorgeous full-size layout, a wrist rest, a convenient volume wheel and media keys, a long-lasting battery and your choice of 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth support. Razer"s software is more advanced than Logitech"s, so this might be a better choice if you want to set intricate or game-specific RGB lighting effects. Both clicky/tactile (Razer Green) and linear/silent (Razer Yellow) switch options are available; we used the clicky version in our testing and had a lovely time typing and gaming at maximum volume.Best quiet mechanical keyboard: Epomaker Lite

The $100 Epomaker Lite, aka the Skyloong GK61S Lite is a supremely quiet 60 percent size mechanical keyboard with a stylish look. The soft key feel is down to the keyboard"s unique "shallow gasket" design, which places a 2mm silicone pad between the keyboard"s metal plate and the PCB. This gives every key a soft landing, and together with sound absorbing foam drastically cutting the noise that normally accompanies typing on a mechanical keyboard. I"m a big fan of how this keyboard looks too, with keycaps in retro-inspired yellow or red colourways and a weighty aluminium chassis. The feature list is strong as well, with wired and wireless connectivity, hot-swappable switches and accompanying software for PC and Mac. The Lite has been great fun to use - the muted, raindrop-like sound it produces is brilliant - and it"s so rare to find something unique like this in the keyboard space.

If you can get on with the relatively restrictive 60 percent size layout, then this innovative indie keyboard is well worth a look.Best mechanical keyboard for coding or typing: Drop CTRL

The $149 Drop CTRL is the best-built and most cleanly designed mechanical keyboard for gaming we"ve tested. Available in a compact yet convenient TKL (tenkeyless, aka "no numpad") layout, the CTRL has a minimal footprint, with no extra keys for macros, media controls and the like; these functions are handled by a Fn layer. The keyboard comes in black or grey with six different switch options; I opted for the delightfully light and clicky Kailh Box Whites rather than alternatives from Cherry or Kailh. The switch mounts are hot-swappable, so you can fit any other standard MX-style switches in if you prefer.

The aluminium used on the top and bottom makes the keyboard extremely resistant to deck flex; it feels as well-built as an old IBM Model M but in a much more compact form factor. USB-C is also included, with a non-recessed port that means that pretty much any USB-C data cable can be used. The black and grey PBT keycaps provided with the board look great, and the entirely standard layout means that you can swap them for a set of custom keycaps in the colour or material of your choice without difficulty.

An RGB wave lighting effect is enabled by default, but there are several calmer presets available and you can use Drop"s configurator to make your own custom key layouts and lighting settings. This is a powerful option for advanced users, but lacks the accessibility of software from more prominent keyboard brands.

All things considered, the CTRL is a fantastic keyboard for gaming or programming with a nice clean aesthetic. For something a bit cheaper, more widely accessible and with easier (if more limited) software, consider our previous picks for this category - the HyperX Alloy Origins or Alloy Origins Core.Best value mechanical gaming keyboard: Xtrfy K4 TKL

The £78/$99 Xtrfy K4 TKL is one of the best mechanical keyboards on the market when it comes to gaming, and given its feature set and build quality it"s surprisingly affordable at less than £100. We like its high quality Kailh Red plate-mounted switches for fast-paced FPS games like Counter-Strike and Valorant, which provide a soft and linear feel ideal for quick taps or double-taps. They"re quite comfortable for typing too, with a good amount of feedback despite not having a tactile bump or click like Brown or Blue switches.

The bright RGB backlighting looks great too, especially as you can control all of the effects on the keyboard with no software required. As well as backlighting controls, you can also adjust the volume, access media controls or launch common programs using the Function (Fn) layer.

Xtrfy"s attention to detail is also impressive. For example, rather than using expensive but trendy PBT keycaps that would raise the price, the Swedish company has found a middle ground with thicker-than-normal ABS keycaps that provide more durability and a nicer feel than standard ABS caps. Each stabiliser is oiled to reduce noise, and combined with foam padding in the bottom of the chassis, the K4 TKL is actually reasonably quiet for a mechanical keyboard. The key legends are also neat and tidy, with even the secondary functions clearly visible. These small details are often ignored, so it"s great to see them taken care of here.

There are three colour schemes available for the K4 TKL: black, white and "retro". We tested the latter, and the off-white, grey and red keycaps provide a unique look that we really dig. If you"re after a well-made keyboard for gaming that doesn"t cost the earth, then the Xtrfy K4 TKL comes highly recommended. A full-size model, simply titled the Xtrfy K4, is also available.Best cheap mechanical keyboard: Redragon K551/K552

The Redragon K551/552 are some of the most popular budget mechanical keyboards available, thanks to their low price, good range of regional layouts and full complement of mechanical switches. The keyboards are available in a variety of switch configurations, from clicky Blues to tactile Browns and soft linear Reds, with the £45/$34 K551 being a full-size board and the £38/$33 K552 being the more compact TKL variant. (The K551-R and 552-R add RGB lighting, rather than single-colour.) Despite its low price, the keyboard feels reasonably well built, with an aluminium frame, plate-mounted switches and decent backlit ABS keycaps. There are few advanced features here; this is just a simple keyboard that delivers a great typing and gaming experience for the money.Best compact keyboard: Keychron K2

The best compact keyboard I"ve tested is the £81/$80 Keychron K2. Originally on Kickstarter, this 84-key mechanical keyboard comes with a choice with Brown, Blue or Red switches and - unusually - both macOS and Windows keycaps in the box. This keyboard has an 80 percent layout, so it misses out the numpad but still has arrow keys on the bottom right, F keys at the top of the keyboard and a single column of navigational keys on the right side. That provides considerable space savings compared to a standard or tenkeyless design, while still keeping the most important keys within easy reach. As you"d hope for such a portable keyboard, the K2 supports both Bluetooth and USB-C connections, so it can be used in both wired and wireless modes with a range of devices.

The Keychron K2 performed excellently in my testing, with a satisfying feel from the Brown Gateron switches, while the aluminium frame looks great and ensures this keyboard can survive quite a bit. This model also comes with full RGB backlighting, including a number of different effects. Given this keyboard"s long feature list and great build quality, it"s a surprise to find that it"s also among the most affordable keyboards in its category. The deluxe model with an aluminium frame and RGB costs $89 plus shipping. Swap the metal frame for plastic to save $10, and chop another tenner off the price by opting for white backlighting instead of RGB.Best mechanical keyboard for Mac: Das Keyboard MacTigr

The Das Keyboard MacTigr is an excellent choice for Macs, with a brilliant typing experience, plenty of nice touches and tank-like build quality... as long as you can look past its $219 list price.

The fact remains that there simply aren"t a lot of dedicated mechanicals for MacOS, which is arguably why the MacTigr exists in the first place. The best way to actually describe the MacTigr is that it"s a "thoughtful" keyboard - Das has put every effort in to make it as functional and as lovely to use as possible. You"ll find a twiddly volume wheel with tactile-feeling multimedia playback buttons, as well as an entire function row to play with, complete with additional keys for things like sending your Mac to sleep or adjusting screen brightness on the fly. Did I also mention you get a pair of USB-C passthrough ports on the back of the board? It seems Das really has thought of everything.

Keeping in with that pleasant user experience theme, it"s also a keyboard that offers a smooth and light keypress with Cherry MX Low Profile Red switches. The MacTigr also comes with full N-Key rollover so you can push down as many keys as you want, which is critical for some game genres and otherwise ensures no key presses go unregistered. The keyboard is also supremely built and should last for decades, which is nice.

And of course, there"s the $219 asking price. This is up there with some of the most expensive and therefore premium mechanicals out there, and it arguably doesn"t seem like you get much outside of the keyboard for that money - especially given the existence of Keychron"s Mac-friendly keyboards such as the K2, our pick as the best compact mechanical keyboard out there. While these keyboards may be better value though, the MacTigr remains the superior choice.Best retro mechanical keyboard: Durgod Fusion

Okay, okay, so this isn"t really a retro keyboard. Instead, it"s a modern keyboard with a retro aesthetic, with colourways and design language that evoke memories of the 80s. The £140/$152 Durgod Fusion is a compact keyboard - a 65 percent, if you want to be specific - with both wired (USB-C) and wireless functionality, accessible via a chunky switch in the upper right. A built-in battery provides up to 40 days of use, thanks to the lack of LEDs on the keyboard, and you have the choice of standard Bluetooth 5 or lower-latency 2.4GHz wireless via a USB dongle hidden under the Durgod logo. That makes it a good choice for a wide range of mobiles, tablets and computers. I did have some issues connecting via the wireless dongle in my testing, but that was solved by a firmware update to the keyboard and shouldn"t affect retail units.

The keycaps are made from durable double-shot PBT, while the switches beneath come in seven different flavours of Cherry MX from clicky Blues and tactile Browns to quiet Silent Reds. The typing experience is generally excellent and the compact layout makes sense - although it may require some mental effort if you"re used to a larger keyboard with F keys or a numpad. The build quality is impressive too, given the reasonable price, but the small frame means that the keyboard is still portable if you want to put it in a backpack or simply carry it into another room.

Another nice 65 percent keyboard with retro sensibilities is the $140 Epomaker B21. This one is covered in knobs, with one on each corner to control your computer"s volume and the keyboard"s lighting brightness, and the F keys have been replaced by media controls, a calculator button, three profiles and a Mac/Windows toggle. I don"t think these are necessary more helpful than F keys, depending on the workload, but they certainly contribute to a unique design. There are round corners and soft colours everywhere here, and if you like the look this Bluetooth and USB-C combo keyboard certainly does the job.Best optical mechanical keyboard: Wooting Two HE

The £158/$182 Wooting Two HE is something special: an analogue mechanical keyboard. That"s an interesting prospect for gaming, as their pressure-sensitive keys allow you to steer into corners or creep around a level with the same fine-grained control you only normally only get with a wheel or controller. You can adjust the actuation point of the keyboard in software too, anywhere from 0.1 to 4.0mm, making a trade-off between speed and control that normally demands switching to an entirely different keyboard with different mechanical switches inside. You can also trigger up to four different effects as a single key is pressed and released - eg selecting a grenade with a light touch, throwing it when you bottom out the key and swapping back to your weapon as the key is released. All of this requires some setup and tweaking, but the result is something special.

The Two HE is a solid keyboards even if you use it entirely digitally, with a clean "floating keys" design, programmable RGB backlighting and a comfortable full-size layout with four extra keys. The use of an advanced Hall Effect sensor also means that key presses should be registered faster than traditional switches, especially when combined with the keyboard"s "tachyon mode" that strips out nonessentials like RGB effects for a lightning-fast response. For more on this special keyboard, check out our full Wooting Two HE review!Best modular keyboard: Mountain Everest Max

The €250 Mountain Everest Max is a modular keyboard in the strictest sense of the word, offering novel customisability and a multi-part design. The centrepiece is a TKL (tenkeyless, ie no numpad) keyboard, to which three additional components can be joined: a numpad with four Stream Deck style LCD keys, a multi-function LCD wheel and media controls piece, and a palm rest. There"s flexibility in the way in which these pieces come together too - the numpad can be positioned to the right as standard or on the left, an alternative that combines easy access to numeric inputs while leaving loads of room to the right of the keyboard for your mouse. The volume wheel part can also be placed on the top left or top right, according to your preference. The smaller pieces connect via USB-C and magnets, and can be freely swapped around in just a couple of seconds. The Everest Max offers all of the components in one box, along with a handful of extra switches (all of the switches here are hot swappable, so you can install your own switch of choice) and magnetically attached discs that angle the keyboard (as an alternative to flip-out feet). You can also get the base model Everest Core, which is just the TKL keyboard, or even the Everest Core Barebones which comes without switches or keycaps at a lower price.

The Everest Max is extremely convincing as a full package, and thanks to its LCD keys and the Base Camp software it can function as a mini Stream Deck alternative for controlling scenes in OBS. I found the software package a little flaky as it"s still under active development, but I didn"t encounter any serious bugs and the possibilities here are powerful indeed - with comprehensive controls for lighting, key binding, macros, the LCD wheel and multiple profiles. The keyboard itself is a pleasure to use too, especially with that left-handed-style layout with the numpad on the left and the multi-function wheel in the upper right. Having quick access to volume controls as well as lighting selections, a clock, PC stats and even an APM (actions per minute) counter is entirely novel and I"d love to see this on more boards in future - it"s much more powerful than the OLED screen on the likes of the SteelSeries Apex Pro, which includes some similar functions but is much clumsier to use and is mostly relegated to showing a custom graphic in my experience.

So: a very interesting keyboard and I"m curious to see how the package develops further over time! I"d love to see more add-ons available that really push the boundaries of what the mechanical keyboard is capable of - and the LCD keys built into on the numpad make this a really canny pick for streamers and content creators already.Best ergonomic keyboard: Ultimate Hacking Keyboard

The $320 Ultimate Hacking Keyboard is a split-design ergonomic keyboard, similar to the Ergodox but with a much smaller footprint and the ability to use it both joined up (for portability) and split apart (for ergonomics and having a mug of tea in the middle). If you"re already used to a 60 percent keyboard for your work, then this split layout should be ergonomically superior while including some useful functions not found on standard compact keyboards like built-in mouse controls, two extra keys below the space bar and easily accessible arrow keys.

Based on my testing, the chief advantages of the UHK over the Ergodox are two-fold: the closer-to-standard layout is easier to learn and the keyboard is more easily programmable, thanks to an excellent UHK Agent software. It is trivial to change layouts on the fly, with the small LED display in the upper left of the keyboard reminding you which layout is active. Windows, Mac and Linux are all well supported, with preset layouts for Qwerty, Colemak and Dvorak.

A wide range of case colours, mechanical switches, key legends and accessories are also available - including click-into-place add-ons like thumb keys, touchpad, trackpoint or trackball. A palm rest is also available, adding more options for tenting, tilting and otherwise positioning the keyboard in an ergonomically optimal way. Sadly, key backlighting is not offered currently, something that is possible with the Ergodox Glow. Regardless, the UHK is a well-designed ergonomic keyboard worth considering for anyone that relies on a keyboard for work.Best mechanical keyboard for laptops: Epomaker NT68

The best mechanical keyboard for laptops we"ve tested is the £102/$91 Epomaker NT68. It"s designed to perfectly cover the keyboards on most 15-inch laptops, immediately upgrading the typing experience to something with bags more tactile feedback, key travel and comfort. The 65 percent size keyboard comes with a stand, which can fold around the keyboard to protect it during travel, prop up the keyboard or prop up a smartphone or tablet. You have the option of USB-C and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, suitable for a wide range of devices including your computer at home. Software is available to change the lighting and other keyboard settings, but most things can be accomplished with Function keys, accessible via a Fn button in the lower left corner between the Ctrl and Win modifiers. Both Mac and Windows are supported, with Mac and Windows keycaps in the box, and the switches are hot-swappable - so you can use a wide range of replacements with different characteristics. I used Epomaker"s own Chocolate Brown switches, and found them pleasantly tactile with a deep "thock" sound when typing. A separate low profile variant of the keyboard is also available, if you prefer. Given the moderate price point and the flexibility of this keyboard, it seems a great value for mobile typists.

With that, our recommendations come to an end. Of course, even if we chose 200 keyboards we"d still not scratch the surface of the many options available - so if we didn"t cover your favourite keyboard, it"s nothing personal. If you think we"ve missed a good option though, feel free to get in touch with me @wsjudd.

I hope you"ve found this article useful, and I look forward to the feedback. If you haven"t read it before, I"d also encourage you to check out our feature on how - and why - mechanical keyboards become popular in the first place.

Resolution is a key feature of any monitor. It measures the width and height of the screen in terms of pixels, or “picture elements”, the tiny points of illumination that compose an image. A 2,560 × 1,440 screen, for example, has a total of 3,686,400 pixels.

Common resolutions include 1,920 × 1,080 (sometimes called “Full HD” or FHD), 2,560 × 1,440 (“Quad HD”, QHD, or “Widescreen Quad HD”, WQHD), or 3840 × 2160 (UHD, or “4K Ultra HD”). Ultrawide monitors are also available with resolutions such as 2560 x 1080 (UW-FHD) and 3440 x 1440 (UW-QHD), 3840x1080 (DFHD), and 5120x1440 (DQHD).

The pixels being counted in these measurements are usually rendered the same way: As squares on a two-dimensional grid. To see this, you can either move closer to (or magnify) the screen until you perceive individual blocks of color, or zoom in on an image until it becomes “pixelated”, and you see a staircase of small squares instead of clean diagonal lines.

Beyond increasing the detail onscreen in games or movies, there"s another benefit to higher resolutions. They give you more desktop real estate to work with. That means you get a larger workspace on which to arrange windows and applications.

You might already know that a screen with 4K display resolution doesn"t magically make everything it displays look 4K. If you play a 1080p video stream on it, that content usually won"t look as good a 4K Blu-ray. However, it may still look closer to 4K than it used to, thanks to a process called upscaling.

Monitors can also change resolution. Modern screens have a fixed number of pixels, which defines their "native resolution" but can also be set to approximate lower resolutions. As you scale down, onscreen objects will look larger and fuzzier, screen real estate will shrink, and visible jaggedness may result from interpolation. (Note that it wasn’t always this way: older analog CRT monitors can actually switch between resolutions without interpolation, as they do not have a set number of pixels.)

Screens with 4K resolution and higher introduce another scaling concern: at ultra-high definition, text and interface elements like buttons can start to look small. This is especially true on smaller 4K screens when using programs that don’t automatically resize their text and UI.

Windows’ screen scaling settings can increase the size of text and layout elements, but at the cost of reducing screen real estate. There’s still a benefit of increased resolution, even when this scaling is used — onscreen content, like an image in an editing program, will appear at 4K resolution even if the menus around it have been rescaled.

Manufacturers measure screen size diagonally, from corner to corner. A larger screen size, in tandem with a higher resolution, means more usable screen space and more immersive gaming experiences.

Players sit or stand close to their monitors, often within 20”-24”. This means that the screen itself fills much more of your vision than an HDTV (when seated at the couch) or a smartphone/tablet. (Monitors boast the best ratio of diagonal screen size to viewing distance among common displays, with the exception of virtual reality headsets). The benefits of 1440p or 4K resolution are more immediately perceptible in this close-range situation.

Basically, you want to find a screen where you never perceive an individual pixel. You can do this using online tools that measure pixel density (in pixels per inch), which tells you the relative “sharpness” of the screen by determining how closely pixels are packed together, or the alternative pixels per degree formula, which automatically compares its measurements against the limits of human vision.

It"s also worth considering your own eyesight and desktop setup. If you have 20/20 vision and your eyes are around 20” from your screen, a 27” 4K panel will provide an immediate visual upgrade. However, if you know your eyesight is worse than 20/20, or you prefer to sit more than 24” away, a 1440p panel may look just as good to you.

A monitor"s aspect ratio is the proportion of width to height. A 1:1 screen would be completely square; the boxy monitors of the 1990s were typically 4:3, or “standard”. They have largely been replaced by widescreen (16:9) and some ultrawide (21:9, 32:9, 32:10) aspect ratios.

Most online content, such as YouTube videos, also defaults to a widescreen aspect ratio. However, you"ll still see horizontal black bars onscreen when watching movies or TV shows shot in theatrical widescreen (2.39:1, wider than 16:9), and vertical black bars when watching smartphone videos shot in thinner “portrait” mode. These black bars preserve the original proportions of the video without stretching or cropping it.

UltrawidesWhy opt for an ultrawide screen over regular widescreen? They offer a few advantages: They fill more of your vision, they can provide a movie-watching experience closer to the theater (as 21:9 screens eliminate “letterboxing” black bars for widescreen films), and they let you expand field of view (FOV) in games without creating a “fisheye” effect. Some players of first-person games prefer a wider FOV to help them spot enemies or immerse themselves in the game environment. (But note that some popular FPS games do not support high FOV settings, as they can give players an advantage).

Curved screens are another common feature on ultrawide monitors. These can correct one typical issue with larger ultrawides: Images at the distant edges of the screen look less distinct than those in the middle. A curved screen helps compensate for this and provides a clearer view of the extreme edges of the screen. However, its benefits are most noticeable on larger screens over 27”.

Contrast RatioContrast ratio, one of the most basic measures of a monitor"s performance, measures the ratio between the extremes of black and white that the screen can display. A baseline contrast ratio like 1,000:1 means that the white parts of the image are 1,000 times brighter than the dark parts.

Use caution when LCDs advertise very high “dynamic contrast ratios”, which are achieved by changing the behavior of the backlight. For gaming or everyday use, the standard “static” contrast ratio discussed above is a better marker of the monitor"s quality.

LuminanceBrightness is often measured in “luminance”, a precise measure of how much light is emitted by the screen. It"s given in candelas per square meter (cd/m2), a unit which is also called a “nit”. For HDR displays, the VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) has standardized a suite of tests for luminance using specific test patches. When comparing luminance specs, check to make sure they use this consistent test platform, rather than a proprietary metric.

Black LevelIn all LCD screens, light from the backlight inevitably leaks through the liquid crystal. This provides the basis for the contrast ratio: For example, if the screen leaks 0.1% of the illumination from the backlight in an area that"s supposed to be black, this establishes a contrast ratio of 1,000:1. An LCD screen with zero light leakage would have an infinite contrast ratio. However, this isn"t possible with current LCD technology.

“Glow” is a particular issue in dark viewing environments, which means that achieving low black levels is a major selling point for LCD monitors. However, an LCD screen can’t reach a black level of 0 nits unless it’s completely turned off.

OLEDs have incredible black levels because they don"t use backlights. When an OLED pixel isn"t activated by electricity, it creates no light at all. OLED screens may advertise black levels “below 0.0005 nits”, as taking measurements more precise is usually prohibitively expensive. However, the black level is usually much closer to 0 than 0.0005.

Color DepthMonitors need to display many subtle shades of color. If they can"t smoothly transition between slightly different hues, we see onscreen color “banding” — a stark shift between two different colors, creating visibly lighter, and darker bands where we should see a seamless gradient. This is sometimes referred to as “crushing” the colors.

A monitor"s ability to display many slightly different colors, and thus avoid banding and inaccuracy, is measured by color depth. Color depth specifies the amount of data (measured in bits) the screen can use to build the color of one pixel.

Each pixel onscreen has three color channels — red, green, and blue — illuminated at varying intensities to create (typically) millions of shades. 8-bit color means that each color channel uses eight bits. The total number of shades possible in a screen with 8-bit color depth is 28 x 28 x 28=16,777,216.

Some inexpensive LCD panels use 6-bit color along with “dithering” to approximate 8-bit color. In this context, dithering means the insertion of similar, alternating colors next to one another to fool the eye into seeing a different in-between color that the monitor cannot accurately display.

Frame Rate Control, or FRC, alternates different colors with each new frame to achieve this. While this can be implemented more cheaply than 8-bit True Color, color accuracy suffers, especially in low-light environments. Some screens also feature 8-bit color depth with an additional FRC stage (commonly listed as “8-bit + FRC”) to approximate 10-bit color.

Monitors sometimes feature a Look-Up Table (LUT) corresponding to a higher color depth, such as 10-bit color. This helps speed up color correction calculations that take place within the monitor as it converts color input to a color output appropriate for your screen. This intermediate step can help create smoother color transitions and more accurate output. These are usually reserved for more professional grade monitors than general consumer and gaming displays.

Monitors advertising "99% sRGB" are claiming the screen covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut, which is often considered indistinguishable from 100% when viewed with the naked eye.

In LCD screens, the backlight and color filters determine the color space. All of the light created by the backlight passes through a color filter with red, green, and blue spots. Narrowing the “band-pass” of this filter restricts the wavelengths of light that can pass through, increasing the purity of the final colors produced. Although this lessens the screen"s efficiency (as the filter now blocks more of the backlight"s output), it creates a wider color gamut.

HDR monitors display brighter images with better contrast and preserve more detail in both light and dark areas of the screen. Using an HDR monitor, you might be better able to spot something moving down a dark corridor in a horror game, or see more dramatic shafts of sunlight in an open-world title.

For LCD displays, a high-end backlight feature called local dimming is critical to HDR quality. Dimming zones for the backlight behind the screen control the brightness of groups of LEDs; more dimming zones means more precise control, less “blooming” (where light areas of the image brighten dark ones), and generally improved contrast.

Edge-lit local dimming relies on groups of LEDs clustered around the edges of the screen to brighten or dim the image in what is typically a fairly limited number of dimming zones.

Full Array Local Dimming (FALD), a more high-end option, uses far more dimming zones (typically hundreds) directly behind the panel rather than just at the edges of the screen. It can give more finite control of the HDR content and dimming of the screen as a result.

On the low end, a DisplayHDR 400 screen can have a peak brightness of 400 nits (compared to a 300-nit standard monitor), but only needs a standard 95% sRGB color gamut and 8-bit color depth. DisplayHDR 400 doesn"t require backlight local dimming.

On the higher end, a DisplayHDR 600 screen needs a brightness of 600 nits, 90% of the DCI-P3 color gamut (providing a wider color space), 10-bit color depth, and some form of local dimming.

Refresh rate is the frequency at which your entire screen refreshes the image. Higher refresh rates make onscreen motion look smoother, because the screen updates the position of each object more rapidly. This can make it easier for competitive players to track moving enemies in a first-person shooter, or just make a screen feel more responsive as you scroll down a webpage or open an app on your phone.

However, you"ll only actually see those extra frames onscreen if you have a refresh rate that matches or exceeds them; similarly, you only benefit from a high refresh rate screen if you have a CPU and graphics card capable of high frame rates. Plan your build accordingly to get the full benefit from your hardware.

Response times must be fast enough to keep up with the refresh rate. On a 240Hz screen, for example, a new frame is sent to the screen every 4.17 milliseconds (1000/240 = 4.17).

Players sometimes confuse response time with input lag, a measurement of the delay before your actions appear onscreen, similarly measured in milliseconds. Input lag is felt rather than seen, and is often a priority for players of fighting games and first-person shooters.

Input lag is a side effect of the processing done by the monitor scaler and the screen"s internal electronics. Selecting “Game Mode” on your monitor"s adjustment menu often switches off image processing features and lessens input lag. Disabling VSync (which prevents some visual artifacts) in in-game option menus can also help reduce input lag.

Adaptive SyncScreen tears will be instantly familiar to most players: A graphical glitch that appears as a horizontal line on your screen, with slightly mismatched images above and below it.

The glitch involves both your graphics card and monitor. The GPU draws a varying number of frames per second, but the monitor refreshes its screen at a fixed rate. If the GPU is midway through overwriting the previous frame in the frame buffer when the monitor reads the frame buffer to refresh the screen, the monitor will display the mismatched image as-is. The top of the image might be a new frame, but the bottom section will still show the previous frame, creating the “tear”.

AMD Radeon FreeSync monitors operate along similar lines, matching the display to GPU output to avoid screen tearing and stutters. Rather than using a proprietary chip, they"re built on open Adaptive Sync protocols, which have been built into DisplayPort 1.2a and all later DisplayPort revisions. Though FreeSync monitors are often cheaper, the trade-off is that they aren"t subject to standard testing before release, and vary widely in quality.

Both LCDs and OLEDs "sample and hold", displaying moving objects as a series of static images that are rapidly refreshed. Each sample remains onscreen until it"s replaced with the next refresh. This "persistence" causes motion blur, as the human eye expects to track objects smoothly rather than see them jump to a new position. Even at high refresh rates, which update the image more often, the underlying sample-and-hold technology causes motion blur.

Motion blur reduction features use backlight strobing to shorten the time that frame samples are displayed onscreen. The screen turns black after every sample before displaying the next, reducing the time that a static image is held onscreen.

This mimics the operation of older CRT monitors, which worked differently than current LCD technology. CRT screens were illuminated by phosphors that rapidly decayed, providing brief impulses of illumination. This meant that the screen was actually dark for most of the refresh cycle. These quick impulses actually created a smoother impression of motion than sample-and-hold, and motion blur reduction features work to replicate this effect