Simply put, the best gaming keyboards use mechanical key switches, and EVGA's Z20 is one of the few keyboards with optical mechanical key switches available today at Newegg for $84.99.

The list price is $174.99, but Newegg will discount it by $90 if you enter promo code 93XRD39 at checkout. It is also available for the full MSRP at several places, including GameStop and direct from EVGA (Amazon does not have it in stock, but a look at the price history shows it has been around $155 for a long time).

Optical mechanical switches record keystrokes by blocking light rays as keys are pressed. This allows for instantaneous and consistently accurate input and eliminates the possibility of metal contacts failing over time, since optical switches do not use metal contacts.

EVGA offers two versions of the Z20, clicky and linear. Promo codes apply to the clicky version. It also has a distinct actuation point (I prefer clicky switches myself, and the louder the better).

Other features include dedicated media controls with metal volume rollers, rows of dedicated gaming keys, RGB lighting (per key and by light bars on both sides), 4K Hz report rate (most keyboards are 1K Hz), unique time-of-flight sensing system (a proximity sensor on the front that detects motion and wakes the keyboard from sleep).