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Save 40% on a new budget gaming keyboard
A perfect budget keyboard buy that will get you gaming without emptying your wallet
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In a world where anything related to a PC seems to have risen 1000% in price, it's good to see that some things are still available at a discount. This keyboard will make enthusiasts wince at the use of membrane switches, but it's the perfect choice for the price and possible use case,, especially if the person you're buying it for has a habit of spilling drinks over their peripherals. With a hefty 40% discount off the original $49.99 list price, the SteelSeries Apex 3 is now priced at just $29.99, a solid price for a full-sized gaming keyboard from a reputable peripheral manufacturer.
The SteelSeries Apex 3 has an IP32 certification and is a water- and dust-resistant keyboard, which gives it an extra level of protection against the pitfalls of eating or drinking near your peripheral. The Apex 3 is a full-sized keyboard with a number pad on the right-hand side, a full function-key row, and multimedia controls.
Its keys aren't mechanical; they are membrane switches, so they are much quieter than clacky mechanical switches, but are still rated for up to 20 million keypresses. The keyboard looks very similar to its more expensive and feature-rich lineup, including the incorporation of a magnetically attached wrist rest that can be easily removed and reattached when needed.
This version of the SteelSeries Apex 3 does not feature per-key lighting, but instead has a 10-Zone RGB LED setup. These RGB zones can be programmed with custom colors or effects and saved to individual profiles. The brightness of the backlight LEDs can also be adjusted.
This SteelSeries Apex 3 full-sized gaming keyboard includes a number pad and a full row of function keys. The board uses membrane switches, which are quiet and have the bonus of making the keyboard highly water-resistant.
The SteelSeries Apex 3 is also capable of saving your custom macro combinations to individual profiles and has a dedicated key to swap between these profiles on the fly. There is also dedicated multimedia controls with a button and roller combination controlling the volume and play/pause/skip functionality.
At only $29.99, this is a great price for a gaming keyboard gift for kids who might be inclined to spill food or drink while at the PC, or for a cheap replacement keyboard in general if you're not adamant about having mechanical switches or the latest magnetic switch features.
Stewart Bendle is a deals and coupon writer at Tom's Hardware. A firm believer in “Bang for the buck” Stewart likes to research the best prices and coupon codes for hardware and build PCs that have a great price for performance ratio.