muntdefems: OK, since you guys keep mentioning ghosting and I'm still not 100% sure, let me ask it directly: is ghosting possible with a mechanical keyboard? Or any mechanical keyboard, no matter how cheap it is (like mine :P) should be safe from ghosting?

muntdefems: I'm afraid that's not the case as I've thoroughly tested it indeed. Like, pressing L-Shift and R-Ctrl and then, without releasing my fingers from those 2 keys, repeatedly pressing the right cursor key. As I said, it works (i.e. a new word is selected) once in every 4-5 tries.

It doesn't seem a delay issue either. For once, that Microsoft webpage registers the key presses instantly. And besides, when the combination works it does so immediately, but when it doesn't nothing happens no matter how long I keep the 3 keys pressed.

I also don't think proximity between keys may play a role here, as the combination R-Shift + R-Ctrl + arrow key works flawlessly 100% of the time, and they are all near together.

Paradoks: It's much more common than it seems. The question is: what 3 keys are being pressed. For example I remember a Logitech 105 (which technically is a "gaming keyboard") not being able to handle Numpad 6 + Numpad 8 + Space.

muntdefems: [...]
I'm afraid that's not the case as I've thoroughly tested it indeed. Like, pressing L-Shift and R-Ctrl and then, without releasing my fingers from those 2 keys, repeatedly pressing the right cursor key. As I said, it works (i.e. a new word is selected) once in every 4-5 tries.
[...]

Paradoks: As I said, you only are safe from ghosting if the keyboard has a nkey rollover. The type doesn't matter. And if it is connected via USB it will need some specific drivers to handle more than 6 keys anyway.

adaliabooks: The last thing I can think of (other than it being faulty) is that it's something to do with the fn (function) key and the fact that the arrows control volume and brightness (presumably, judging from the screenshots), but I can't really see a reason why that would be an issue (or why it would work some of the time if it was an issue) other than a fault.

muntdefems: Well, FN+⇧/⇩ do indeed control brightness (although that of the keyboard light, not the monitor's), but I've got no idea what FN+⇦ /⇨ does. It isn't volume, as volume is controlled with FN+F9/F10/F11. In fact it doesn't seem to do anything, but then again I'm on Linux and several other functions don't work either, so...

bhrigu: Have you tried these key combination in a game?

bhrigu: Just tried that combination, and it worked. On Logitech G105.

Paradoks: Interesting. I guess they had several versions that you wouldn't be able to distinguish between without dismantling the keyboard. Then again, Logitech's quality took a real nosedive compared to what they used to be. I remember that I had to move from Numpad 4, 5, 6, 8 to 1, 2, 3, 5 because some combinations were not recognised.

muntdefems: Oh, sorry. I thought you were talking about membrane keyboards. Well, silly me, I thought that with a mechanic keyboard one would be able to press ALL the keys and get them all to register...

Paradoks: Now about your problem. I think that the fact that it is somewhat random suggest that it is actually a malfunction and not a design flaw. Besides, modifier keys usually don't cause problems with other keys (for obvious reasons).

muntdefems: Finally, more than 3 weeks later my keyboarding woes are over!

As I said, I returned my faulty keyboard and at first I went for a KLIM Domination. It was slightly more expensive than the first one (it was about 55€), it was full-RGB (though I didn't care much about this feature), and I read somewhere that it got 6-key rollover, which was fine for me. The reviews seemed good, too.

I received it last week, I tested it, and it didn't seem to have any ghosting problem. It did have, however, a teenie-weenie flaw: the switch corresponding to the E key was faulty: sometimes it didn't register a key press, and some other times (the most), it registered between 2 and 4 or 5 key presses. Totally unusable.

So I returned it as well, and I gave up my hopes of getting a good and cheap mechanical keyboard. I looked in the ~100€ range, and opted for a Corsair STRAFE. I've just received it and tested it, and so far it works like a charm. Plus it's got Cherry MX Brown switches (the previous two keyboards had blue switches) which feel the same but are significantly less noisy. Oh, and it's also got full 104-key rollover, so it looks like I won't see any more ghosts. xD

spoderman: So yeah, I don't know if the build quality is the same with the regular STRAFE model, but with the RGB Silent the build quality is shit.