Hey guys so I must say I'm a pc gamer I have a desktop rig and a gaming laptop ( Lenovo y500), I really love the desktop setup but I had to travel for business and expecting to be abroad for a few months, so I'm currently gaming on my laptop in my free time using razer blackwidow ultimate keyboard and CM storm sf-17 laptop stand/cooler, this setup is pretty great except I find the 15" of the laptop a bit far away for my liking, I switched back and forth from external keyboard to laptop keyboard but I'm kinda worried that the laptop keyboard would wear out ( my laptop is out of warranty ) and I do not have access to a replacement keyboard in case something happened.
I know some people will be a bit sarcastic about this but the truth of the matter is I really love to take good care of my stuff so they can last me longer. Especially that I use this laptop for both business and pleasure. The external keyboard I'm using is only 40cm in length so it isn't much of a distance but it still kinda effect me. So after all the explanation my questions are.
- are you a laptop gamer if yes do you use an external keyboard and why?
- are gaming laptops keyboard different from other laptop keyboards for extended durability?
- would you sacrifice a little distance from the screen for a mechanical keyboard experience and to keep your laptop keyboard in new condition?
I would really appreciate some replies, and comments I don't need kinda of like yes or no answer share your experience withme
Laptop keyboards lifespan for gaming?
Highest failure rate levels of current laptops are the DC input jack and the USB ports. Anything that gets plugged and unplugged over and over again are hardest to keep stable. Your issue with an external keyboard is the plug and unplug, You can reduce it by keeping a Male-Female small USB cable always connected, and replace that cable.
Anyway, about keyboards, the issue will be dirt that gets under keys. The keyboards themselves are fairly reliable. If they do fail, you can buy a replacement. The hard part is working with the tiny connector pair on the motherboard and flat ribbon cable.
Hardware Maintenance Manual
http://download.lenovo.com/...00_hmm.pdf
Early pages show Keyboard removal. Pages 90-92 show Y500 Keyboard FRU (Field Replacement Unit) Part numbers. There were 3 sub-contract manufacturers of keyboards for the Y500. Chicony, Oki, and Dafon. They are interchangeable. They can be ordered from Lenovo and possibly from other sources.
Although the Lenovo G series is their economy model, in general Lenovo uses better than average parts
http://www.rescuecom.com/...-2014.aspx
I worked at Lenovo and IBM involved in Thinkpad in Engineering, and although the Ideapads are not as robust as Thinkpads, I do believe the issue with Y500's were in trackpads rather than keyboards, and if using an external mouse, you have that covered.
I think in general if you want to focus on improving life before fail, minimize usb plug/unplug.
There are little usb hubs and cables.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=103&cp_id=10307&cs_id=1030702&p_id=6631&seq=1&format=2
Keep one plugged in and use the ports. I have 6 inch cables also.
They are available worldwide.
Don't eat or drink at the keyboard and keep out dirt. You can even buy a little keyboard vacuum.
If not in a hurry, cheap gadgets from China, sold by reputable Hong Kong companies
http://www.miniinthebox.com/
http://www.dx.com/
This is cute:
http://www.miniinthebox.com/90-degree-to-right-usb-m-f-adapter_p598755.html
You can save the keyboard by using and external one.
Just get a Razer Orbweaver. It's quite compact and is full mechanical. Http://www.razerzone.com/au-en/gaming-ke…
They cost a little over $100