CS:GO might seem like a simple game on the surface but it really is anything but simple once you really start studying the game. If you've ever watched a professional match you have no doubt noticed just how smooth and natural the pros seem to glide around the map. That's the result of hours upon hours of training, of course, but there's another factor at play here: all professional players use a mechanical keyboard.

The reason for that is pretty simple; a mechanical board is much more responsive than a regular rubber dome board, meaning that it'll allow you to be much more precise with your inputs, and we don't have to tell you how much of an advantage that can give you. We're not saying that getting a mechanical board is going to make you a pro player in a snap but there is a reason why all of the boards in this list are mechanical.

The advantages don't end with the responsiveness. Due to the great variety of form factors and available switches with these boards it's really easy to find a keyboard that suits your exact preferences, both when it comes to the size and the overall feeling of the board. Want clicky and tactile feeling switches? You got it. More of a silent switch fan? There's multiple options there too. In short: going for a mechanical keyboard gives you a great array of options so that you can get an experience that's tailored to what you want out of a keyboard.

As far as features are concerned: most of these boards are are pretty basic. There are no extra macro buttons or special add-ons because you simply don't need it for a game such as CS:GO. It can be handy to go for a keyboard with a numpad if you're someone who likes to have buy binds, but otherwise we would recommend you to go for a tenkeyless (TKL) or smaller model. The smaller form factor will give you more space on your desk for your mouse and the increased portability means that TKL boards are way easier to transport in case you're someone who goes to LANs or tournaments quite often.

Logitech's G line of products is directed at professional and competitive gamers, so it's perhaps not a huge surprise that we see this G Pro X take up a spot on this list. In case you're wondering what the 'X' stands for: this is basically the same keyboard as the previous G Pro but the newest version has a hotswappable PCB, meaning that you can change switches without having to solder.

The G Pro X is a very compact TKL keyboard with a detachable cable, making it easy to carry around. Aside from that it's got a relatively small footprint with its thin bezels, and while the body is made out of plastic it is a sturdy board regardless, so you can definitely use this one as a travel type of board.

Because this is aimed at competitive gamers you won't find any additional features such as a volume dial or media buttons, though. You get a button to turn on gaming mode (which disables the Windows button etc.) and a toggle to turn off the programmable RGB backlighting, and that's pretty much it. That's no problem for competitive gamers though, and the lack of fancy features or design elements makes this product rather friendly on your wallet. The option to change up the switches on a whim makes it a great board for people who like to switch it up every now and again, as a set of switches is cheaper than an entirely new board.

One obvious downside that also shows the age of this board a bit is that it connects via a Micro USB cable, meaning that you probably won't be able to use any custom keyboard cables that you may have lying around.

The G Pro X is available with GX Blue, GX Red, or GX Brown switches. These basically mimic their more well-known Cherry MX counterparts.

Note: we counted the Alloy FPS and FPS Pro together. The full size version has a USB passthrough port while the TKL version does not, but other than that there are no differences to the build and overall features.

A lot of mechanical gaming keyboards try to dazzle you with extra features and impressive RGB backlighting, but the HyperX Alloy FPS doesn't do all that. It's made for (as the name obviously suggests) serious FPS gaming. It's made out of a solid steel frame and it has a detachable cable (even on the full size version, which is somewhat of a rarity) so it's going to be plenty durable and portable for the traveling gamer.

While there's no RGB show to be found here there's still (red) backlighting so that you can see what you're doing in dark environments. The board also has full N-key rollover (NKRO) so that you'll never have any issues with keys not registering, no matter how many you're pressing at the same time. The bezels of the board are almost non-existent as well so that the footprint of this board remains minimal (even for a full sized plank) so all in all you can say that this keyboard definitely is made for serious competitive gaming.

You can get the HyperX Alloy FPS with a variety of Cherry MX switches. You can choose between Blue, Brown (only on the full sized version), or Red.

That's not the greatest array of options on a keyboard, but it does cover the basics; you've got clicky and tactile (Blue), silent and linear (Red) and a mix between the two (Brown). If you want to learn more about the differences between all these switches you can check out our article here.

The G915 TKL is a perfect keyboard for those who want to cut the cord and/or for people who want to also bring their keyboard to work, college, or what have you without it looking out of place. This is helped by the fact that it can connect via Bluetooth and as such to multiple devices without having to reconnect or switch the receiver. The G915 TKL is rocking Logitech's LIGHTSPEED wireless, ensuring a completely hassle-free and flawless connection at all times.

The G915 TKL not only looks sleek, it also feels sleek due to its low profile design. If you feel like regular keyboards are too high or you get wrist pains using regular boards, it can be a good idea to look towards Low Profile options. All of this comes in a package complete with media controls, a volume rocker, and gaming controls, making this a great 'battlestation' type keyboard for the gamer on the go. It does charge via Micro USB, which is a downside in today's market.

The Logitech G915 TKL can be bought with GL Clicky, Linear, or Tactile switches. These are Logitech's own switches.

We counted the full size and TKL version together.

The Razer Huntsman V2 is one of the most advanced keyboards on this list, packing in a number of interesting features such as Optical switches for a faster response time and a polling rate of up to 8000Hz for the ultimate response speed. Whether you notice that 8000Hz or not in a keyboard is up for debate, but what you certainly will notice the nicely finished PBT keycaps and the fact that there is sound dampening foam inside the board in order to level up the acoustics. These are features that don't improve your gameplay performance, but they certainly will make your experience with the keyboard better and make it feel and sound a lot more premium.

In addition to all of this, you also get a nicely cushioned leatherette wrist rest for the ultimate comfort, and on the full sized version there's a multi functional digital dial and media control keys. If you're looking for cutting edge technology while not making any sacrifices when it comes to comfort and typing experience, this might be your best bet.

The Huntsman V2 comes with either Razer Optical Linear switches or Razer Optical Clicky switches.

Note: we counted the regular and TKL version together since they have the exact same features and only differ in size.

When SteelSeries first announced the Apex Pro line, their unique selling point was their OmniPoint switches. These are switches that can be customized by the user, meaning that you can choose the actuation point yourself. This is interesting because it allows you to have different profiles for different games, and you can even set different keys to be more (or less) sensitive than others. If that's something that sounds like it interests you the Apex Pro is a fantastic keyboard to consider. The OmniPoint switches steal the show (as a bonus they're also quite smooth and thus pleasant to use) so if you don't really care for this feature it can be a good idea to look towards some other boards, since the Apex Pro does come with a premium price tag.

The Apex Pro can only be bought with SteelSeries' OmniPoint switches.