Our Picks for the Best Budget Gaming Keyboards under 4000 INR

Buying a Gaming Keyboard under a budget can be hard with tons of option available in the market. Here, after immense research, we’ve compiled the four budget gaming keyboards under 4000 INR, all of them being mechanical ones.

The Keyboards

I haven’t included any keyboards from Razer, Corsair, SteelSeries and other big brands because the keyboards they offer at this price range are Membrane keyboards; these don’t really give any real advantages apart from improved aesthetics as compared to normal keyboards. Mechanical Keyboards are way more responsive, offer more stability, and have a longer lifespan.

However, if you absolutely do not want to get mechanical keyboards for some reason, go ahead with either the Corsair K55 or the Razer Cynosa Chroma.

Let’s look at an overview of these mechanical gaming keyboards and a comparison at the end so you can decide which one is for you.

Circle Squadron-M RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard

This keyboard by Circle Gaming is currently priced at 3700 INR if you get it locally. On Amazon, the keyboard is available for 4399 INR. The Squadron M has the Kailh LH Blue switches, which are tactile & clicky in nature and close to the Cherry MX Blue switches. The switches are pretty loud and could get annoying in certain situations.

It has a Tenkeyless (TKL) Design with 87 Anti-Ghost keys, giving the keyboard a compact look and more space for the mouse to move, but this could be a deal breaker if you want a numpad – although you can spend a bit more and get the Squadron X for the full 104 key design. The build quality is solid with its aluminium panel and braided USB cable. The RGB Backlighting is pretty bright and has great colour quality in all different modes.

Redgear MK881 Invador Mechanical Keyboard

This keyboard by RedGear is priced at 2995 INR on Amazon. On occasional sales, the keyboard goes to 2500 INR. The Redgear MK881 has the same Kailh LH switches the Squadron M has, but it comes in two variants – Blue & Brown. The Kailh LH Brown switches offer the same great tactile feel and response of the Kailh LH Blue switches but are way more silent. These switches are better suited for those who require their keyboard to be more silent and don’t mind losing the phenomenal sound the Blue switches offer. You can choose either the Kailh LH Blue or Kailh LH Brown switches when buying the keyboard.

This keyboard has the full 104 key layout with Anti-Ghosting. In terms of build quality, the keyboard is quite heavy at 860g and has decent build quality, but many have reported that the MK881 is very prone to dust and the keyboard gets dirty quickly.

RGB Backlighting is present and has several modes, but the colours don’t look premium and brightness isn’t up to the mark. Still, the MK881 is one of the most affordable and value for money options on this list. There’s also a Windows Key Lock option preventing accidental tabbing out to the desktop.

GAMDIAS HERMES E2 Mechanical Keyboard

This keyboard is priced at 3370 INR on TheITDepot. A local vendor quoted me a price of 6000 INR for the same keyboard. The GAMDIAS HERMES E2 features GAMDIAS Certified Mechanical Switches and is available in Blue/Brown/Red/Black variants, although availability varies. These key switches are exclusive to GAMDIAS keyboards, and the advertised life-cycle is 50 million (same as Kailh LH switches) and do seem to be reliable enough and very comparable to the genuine Cherry MX Switches present on more expensive keyboards.

The keyboard has a TenKeyLess (TKL) design giving more space, but again this could be a deal breaker for some. A solid metal face-plate is presently giving great build quality, and the key switches have N-Key rollover with Anti-Ghosting.

There’s a handy Windows Key disable shortcut which disables the windows key, preventing accidental tabbing out to the desktop while in gaming sessions, just like on the MK881. The RGB Backlighting is actually very good on this – the illumination and colours seem more premium and have 7 modes.

TVS Gold USB Bharat Mechanical Keyboard

This keyboard is the most affordable on this list, being priced at 2200 INR on MDComputers. This keyboard is also widely available at computer shops and the average price for this keyboard from local shops is around 1900 INR. The TVS Gold Bharat Mechanical Keyboard features genuine Cherry MX Blue switches. Genuine Cherry MX Switches are always better than the third party copies and offer way higher stability and a consistent experience while using them. So, the keyboard is better than the other options listed above.

The keyboard features a 104-key layout and is quite big in size, but also offers a solid build quality and durability with its heavy weight. One little thing about it is the printed letters ; they’re not engraved on the key caps and hence can wear off with use. No backlighting or gaming features like Windows Key Disable is present on this keyboard. This is truly the keyboard for those who don’t care about how their keyboard looks or how big it is – just how it performs and the TVS Gold Bharat excels with its Cherry MX Blue key switches.

Gigabyte FORCE K83 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

This keyboard is priced at 2715 INR at MDComputers. The Gigabyte FORCE K83 also has genuine Cherry MX Red/Blue switches, like the TVS Gold Bharat. The advantage of this keyboard over the TVS Gold Bharat is that this keyboard has a more compact and less ‘officey’ look. Also, the Cherry MX Red switches are better for gaming as the MX Red switches require less force to activate compared to MX Brown or MX Blue and are hence more responsive.

This keyboard does feature the Windows Button lock feature, right near the space-bar key, preventing accidental tabbing out of games. In terms of build quality, the keyboard does not hold back. The keycaps are wear resistant, with the letters being laser etched and the layout being an ‘island-style’ layout which shields the keyboard from accidental spills or other foreign materials while also making it easy to clean. Anti-Ghosting and N-Key rollover too is present.

Which one to get?

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of the options above. Go with the Squadron-M if you want an all-rounder keyboard with great backlighting, switches, build quality and design. The GAMDIAS Hermes E2 is also very similar to the Squadron-M except for the switches. I would personally prefer getting the Kailh Switches as they’re widely used and support options are very limited for GAMDIAS Keyboards.

The RedGear MK881 Invador is great value for money, especially at Lightning Deals when it’s at 2500 INR. The Kailh LH Brown variant is perfect for those who want a mechanical keyboard without the noise factor.

If you don’t really care about the looks and size and just want pure performance – the TVS Gold Bharat or the Gigabyte Force K83 are for you. The GIGABYTE Force K83 gives a better overall quality than the TVS Gold Bharat with the wear resistant keycaps, more compact design, and presence of Windows Key Lock, N-Key Rollover and Anti Ghosting features.