Last week I found myself in the market for a new gaming keyboard, and I really had only one thing in mind — it had to be clicky and mechanical, since I was replacing a mushy disaster of a thing. So, off I went down to a PC gaming boutique in Akihabara that had dozens of options set up all at once. After trying out almost all of them, I decided that Thermaltake's TT Esports Poseidon ZX was the best fit for my desk.

Here's why:

• It has a compact "tenkeyless" layout, which saves desk space by omitting the numpad
• Its design is pretty nondescript and minimalist — it doesn’t scream "G4M3RZ" like a lot of its competitors do (though I do wish it didn't have "esports" written on it)
• It’s not minimalist enough to omit per-key LED backlighting, however, which I find essential in the dark
• Its Kailh blue mechanical switches are ultra-loud, ultra-responsive, and ultra-satisfying. They work as well for typing as for gaming, as long as no-one else is in the room
• It’s pretty cheap at around $80
• It is super simple, with absolutely no soul-destroying proprietary software to install

So there you have it. My criteria may be different to yours, but if you're after the same sort of thing as me, I can recommend the Poseidon ZX pretty much without reservation.