A famous man once said, "It's not how it feels, but how it looks," and I think this adage applies nicely to the Razer Cynosa Chroma keyboard. The flashy RGB lighting and Razer logo make it look like an expensive gaming keyboard, but it's a membrane keyboard, so it doesn't have to cost hundreds of dollars. [But given that the Razer Cynosa Chroma is now only $30 (open in new tab), it's hard to pass up for cheap and cheerful gaming.

It's hard to say no to a mechanical keyboard, it's true. But the Cynosa Chroma is more than just a cheap last resort. In fact, it ranks on our Best Gaming Keyboards list (open in new tab) not only as the best membrane keyboard, but also as one of the most affordable gaming keyboards on the market.

The Cynosa Chroma is fairly basic in terms of features: it has neither a wrist rest nor dedicated media keys, but it is spill-resistant. It also has fully programmable macros via Razer Hypershift software, which is probably the biggest hook, and supports 16.8 million colors on individually backlit keys. 10-key rollover and a two-year manufacturer warranty make the package perfect.

And while mechanical keyboards are generally considered superior, membrane units have one distinct advantage: they're quieter.

"The most positive thing about the membrane switches on this board is the lack of noise. This keyboard will be a big hit with those who like to play games late at night."

"I'm not sure I'll be able to use the Cynosa Chroma keyboard on my own, because unlike mechanical types, the Cynosa Chroma produces almost no noise while still being tactile and enjoyable.

I don't mind loud keyboards - my primary keyboard, the Unicomp Model M, is incredibly loud, but I can tell you from experience that others do. If that's a problem, this may be the solution you need. And even if what you really need is a cheap, non-noisy keyboard, this will do the job: for only $30, you can get one of your favorites. If you don't mind having Cherry MX switches at your fingertips, this is a great bargain.