9 Best 65% Keyboards
- by Goran Damnjanovic
- Updated September 10, 2020
- 9 min read
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While the full-size and TKL mechanical keyboard markets are dominated by big-name brands, 60 percent and other small form factor keyboards are mostly made by indie brands that cherish the high quality of components, slick design, and excellent typing experience. The most popular SFF keyboards are probably 60% models. You have plenty of models from indie brands but also a couple of notable 60 percent keyboards coming from big names such as Razer and Cooler Master.
The situation on the 65% keyboard market is quite different. This form factor isn’t as popular so all you can find online are indie and DIY keyboards that aren’t that easy to find and buy. Luckily, there’s a fair share of excellent 65% keyboards that can be found on large online markets, such as Amazon or MechanicalKeyboards.com, the prime place to satisfy your mechanical keyboard cravings. We used these markets to find the best 65% keyboards you can get right now.
Now, here you won’t find exclusive limited-edition models or DIY models that aren’t available to the broader audience. This list includes the best 65% keyboards that anyone can find and buy. We have excellent gaming models, 65% keyboards with custom designs, models with unique switches, as well as wireless and affordable options.
Before we start, a word or two about the 65% keyboard layout. This is a variation of the 60% form factor that includes some extra keys. The regular additions on each 65% keyboard are the arrow keys. Next, these keyboards also include two to four keys found above the arrow keys on regular keyboards. Keys that include Insert, Page Up and Down, End, Delete, and Home. These additions improve the functionality and add keys many users find handy to have when working on the PC. Everything else is the same as on 60% keyboards. Okay, now, let’s check those keyboards.
Best 65% Keyboards – Our Picks
| Award | Model | |
|---|---|---|
| 65% Keyboard With Wide Range of Custom Designs | Ducky MIYA Pro | 
|
| Best Wireless 65% Keyboard | Akko 3068 | 
|
| Best Hot-Swappable 65% Keyboard | Drop ALT Mechanical Keyboard | 
|
| Drop ALT High-Profile Mechanical Keyboard | 
|
|
| Most Affordable 65% Mechanical Keyboard | Quisan MagicForce | 
|
| Best 65% Mechanical Keyboard For Gaming | Ducky One 2 SF | 
|
| Excellent 65% Keyboard With Simple Design | Vortexgear Cypher | 
|
| 65% Mechanical Keyboard Available in Impressive Variety of Switches | Durgod Hades 68 | 
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| Best 65% Keyboard With Topre Switches | Leopold FC660C | 
|
65% Keyboard With Wide Range Of Custom Designs
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 337 × 105 × 53 mm 13.27 × 4.13 × 2.09 inches |
| Switch type | Cherry MX |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Height Adjustable | Yes |
Let’s start with this beautiful keyboard, a result of the collaboration between Ducky and MIYA. This is the 65% keyboard to get if you desire lots of unique design choices. You can pick between more than ten very cool designs. Every design revolves around the white color, with various customizations of the keycaps, the color of the keyboard, and different visual details found on the keyboard’s base.
Designs look slick as hell and each variant is available in a variety of Cherry MX switches. A huge number of different switches combined with amazing double shot PBT keycaps guarantees excellent feeling when gaming and typing. Each design also features solid build quality (mostly plastic, but high-quality kind), removable cable, and the same 65% layout with arrow keys and Insert, Delete, Page Up, and Page Down keys. Oh, and if you don’t feel that these custom designs are unique enough, check out the upcoming Durgod Fusion that looks like it had a baby with the NES.
Best Wireless 65% Keyboard
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 312 × 102 × 40 mm 12.28 × 4.02 × 1.57 inches |
| Switch type | Cherry MX Blue, Brown or Red |
| Connectivity | Wireless, Wired |
| Height Adjustable | No |
When it comes to wireless models, the 65% keyboard market doesn’t have a lot of those, but the situation is a bit better compared to the number of available low-profile 65% keyboards. The best wireless 65% keyboard is the highly attractive Akko 3068. The keyboard itself looks very nice, with a stunning color choice combining dusty white, matte grey, and pastel blue. The baseplate doesn’t include wide borders or any visual detail. It feels rigid and the keyboard has pretty solid build quality.
Keycaps feel nice under the fingers and the typing experience is very pleasant. The Akko 3068 comes with Cherry MX Blue, Brown and Red switches, presenting excellent choices for typists and gamers alike.
The Bluetooth connection is pretty good. It’s mostly lag-free and the keyboard can be connected with up to three devices at the same time, which is pretty good. Overall, this is an excellent wireless 65% keyboard that’s great for typing and gaming. The only major drawback is its pretty high selling price
Best Hot-Swappable 65% Keyboard
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 322 × 112 × 32 mm 12.7 × 4.4 × 1.25 inches |
| Switch type | Cherry MX, Kaihua or Halo switches |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Height Adjustable | No |
Drop is responsible for the 65% version of its ALT keyboard featuring hot-swappable switch sockets. The keyboard supports all Cherry MX and Kaihua mechanical switches, which together make a huge selection of choices. This is great because everyone can equip this keyboard with their favorite switches, even combine different switches, which can be handy sometimes. For instance, you can equip most keys with easy to press switches while putting heavier switches under the spacebar (combining Cherry MX Red And Black, for instance).
You can get this keyboard with lots of different switches but what we really like is the option to get the barebones version of the Drop ALT. This version includes only the PCB, switch sockets, and keycaps. You have to equip it with your own switches in order to use it, which is cool. The ALT also comes with the amazing per-key RGB lighting that features lots of different effects.
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 322 × 112 × 32 mm 12.7 × 4.4 × 1.25 inches |
| Switch type | Cherry MX, Kaihua or Halo switches |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Height Adjustable | No |
It also has stellar build quality. The hefty metal baseplate provides stability while the double shot PBT keycaps provide excellent experience when gaming and typing. The keyboard also comes with a removable cable. As for which extra keys are there aside from the arrow keys you have four extra keys in total. These are Delete, Home, Page Up, and Page Down. The only major downside of this keyboard is its high price. But if you want a hot-swappable keyboard that has the top-notch build quality and uses premium materials, this is the one to get.
Most Affordable 65% Mechanical Keyboard
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 340 × 105 × 40 mm 13.38 × 4.13 × 1.57 inches |
| Switch type | Outemu Brown switches |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Height Adjustable | Yes |
This keyboard is the complete opposite of the Drop ALT. This is the most affordable 65% mechanical keyboard that comes with almost zero extra features. The minimalistic design works great with the white color. The keyboard features solid build quality. It’s not great but for the price, it’s pretty good and better than on the majority of similarly priced mechanical keyboards.
This model comes with Outemu Brown switches, which are the perfect common ground for typing and gaming. You also get removable cable along with four extra keys on top of the arrow keys. These are: Insert, Delete, Page Up, and Page Down. Overall, this is a very affordable keyboard that looks and feels great but that also comes with zero extra features.
Best 65% Mechanical Keyboard For Gaming
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 325 × 108 × 40 mm 12.80 × 4.25 × 1.57 inches |
| Switch type | Cherry MX |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Height Adjustable | Yes |
Ducky One 2 SF is great for gaming because, on the bottom, you can find four different switches that can switch the function of certain keys. But, more importantly, one of those switches is for locking the Windows key, a unique feature among the current selection of the best 65% keyboards. This is why we picked this model as the best 65% keyboard for gamers. But the Ducky One 2 SF includes much more good stuff.
Build quality is almost perfect, for instance, despite the fact that the baseplate is made of plastic. Next, Ducky keycaps always feel excellent and always provide superb typing experience. Just pick your favorite flavor of Cherry MX switches and you’re good to go. This keyboard also features excellent RGB backlighting, removable cable, and three extra keys. These are Page Up, Page Down, and Delete.
Overall, the Ducky One 2 SF is an excellent keyboard on itself. You can use it for typing and gaming and it will feel amazing. You can also get custom keycaps from Ducky and make this keyboard truly unique.
Excellent 65% Keyboard With Simple Design
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 315 × 105 × 40 mm 12.40 × 4.13 × 1.57 inches |
| Switch type | Cherry MX |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Height Adjustable | No |
For all of you who want a simple keyboard without RGB backlighting, extra functions, wireless connectivity, and minimalistic design, we present the Vortexgear Cypher 65%. This is a minimalistic 65% mechanical keyboard that is great for typing. That’s mostly thanks to the excellent laser engraved PBT keycaps and the selection of basically every Cherry MX switch flavor.
As for the design, it’s as simple as they get. This keyboard, in fact, looks like the most generic office keyboard, the only thing giving it away being its unusual form factor. As we’ve said, aside from excellent keycaps and a wide variety of switches, this keyboard doesn’t offer lots of extra features. You get a detachable cable but that’s it. Nevertheless, this is an excellent keyboard for typing and gaming, its only issue being a very high price.
65% Mechanical Keyboard Available In Impressive Variety Of Switches
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 310 × 105 × 39 mm 12.20 × 4.13 × 1.54 inches |
| Switch type | Cherry MX, Gateron or Kailh |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Height Adjustable | No |
This is probably the prettiest RGB 65% mechanical keyboard out there. It features special Double Shot Translucent Shinethru Keycaps that look amazing when combined with the bright and saturated RGB backlighting. Add a ton of different RGB effects and you’ve got yourself the best RGB 65% mechanical keyboard on the market.
The keycaps feel great and the switch selection is praiseworthy. Almost everyone can find their favorite switch here, with the keyboard offering twelve different switch flavors. No matter which switch color is your favorite, you’ll find it on the Durgod Hades 68.
This keyboard comes with the excellent DURGOD Hera Engine software. With it, you can create macros, tweak RGB effects, and create new ones, as well as rebind keys. The app is easy to use and it offers lots of tweaking options. Overall, this is another excellent 65% keyboard that has probably the best RGB lighting on the market. But that pretty light show comes with a price. This keyboard sells for the same price as some excellent full-size mechanical keyboards.
Best 65% Keyboard With Topre Switches
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 325 × 109 × 33 mm 12.80 × 4.29 × 1.30 inches |
| Switch type | Topre, Topre Silent |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Height Adjustable | Yes |
If you’re looking for a 65% mechanical keyboard with Topre switches, get the Leopold FC660C. This is a premium 65% keyboard with lots of slick designs and the choice between regular and silent 45g Topre switches. Since Topre switches are the most expensive custom switches on the market, this keyboard costs a pretty penny. But the stellar build quality, PBT keycaps, excellent switches, and attractive looks are worth it.
The keyboard comes with a detachable cable and four different designs. We love them all but the creamy-white and grey variant that looks like the IBM keyboards of yesteryears is our favorite. Unlike most other 65% keyboards that come with three or four extra keys, the Leopold FC660C comes only with Insert and Delete keys.
Those that think Topre switches aren’t that great or who simply don’t want to pay the high price for these unique switches can take a look at the Leopold FC660M. This is virtually the same keyboard, but with lower price and Cherry MX switches. Do note that only the FC660M Cherry MX Red limited edition comes with LED backlighting. Other variants come without backlighting. This is the biggest downside of this keyboard, along with its high price.
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