It's not often you see serviceable mechanical keyboards priced under the $100 mark, especially if they're listed in the same sentence as "Dell" or "Alienware".

Most mechanical keyboard switches have two positions -- off and on. Either the key is activated, or it's not. The switches in the Wooting One keyboard are different. Like the analogue trigger on a gamepad, they detect a range of motion. I wouldn't say it's something every PC gamer needs, but it can definitely change the way they play games on a keyboard.

A good mechanical keyboard can make any computer setup really click, but with so many different layouts, mechanical switch types and extra features to choose from, finding a good starter board can be a daunting tasks. We're here to help.

Sleek mechanical keyboards that strip away lesser-used keys in favour of a smaller footprint are picking up, but some people just can't do without that number pad. Vortex's new Vibe keyboard is a nice compromise, with some outstanding keycaps on top.

Do you want a split keyboard that allows the hands, arms and shoulders to sit at a more natural angle while typing, or a fully-programmable gaming keyboard with extensive macro support? Kinesis, makers of the Freestyle Edge mechanical gaming keyboard, say why not both?

There are a lot of big-name peripheral manufacturers making mechanical keyboards, but a search for the term "mechanical keyboard" on Amazon yields a ton of keyboards from companies you've probably never heard of. Such as Vava, makers of the relatively good $US80 ($100) no-name mechanical I've been typing on for the past week.

Many of today's mechanical "gaming" keyboards are innocuous devices that are just at home in an office as they are a game room. Corsair's K95 RGB Platinum is not one of those. It's a brushed aluminium boat of a keyboard with dedicated macro keys, a silver volume wheel and extra RGB lighting, just in case.