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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 9, 2026

Keychron K5 Pro vs Pulsar Xboard MS

Get the Pulsar Xboard MS for the 8,000 Hz polling rate.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron K5 Pro

Build quality in the top 15% of 100% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • Low-profile switches and keycaps only. Standard MX keycaps will not fit.
  • North-facing LEDs. Cherry-profile keycaps can hit the switch housing.

Get the

Pulsar Xboard MS

polling rate

Build quality in the top 35% of 80% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
  • No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
  • No numpad.

What actually differs

The differences that matter

Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.

Keychron K5 Pro

Pulsar Xboard MS

  • Layout size

    100%

    80%

  • Connection

    Bluetooth, Wired

    Wired

    Wireless for several devices and wired for lower latency

  • Low profile

    Yes

    No

  • Max polling rate

    1,000 Hz

    8,000 Hz

    Higher polling helps competitive FPS and does nothing for typing

  • Case material

    ABS, Aluminum, Plastic

    ABS

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Keychron K5 Pro
  • Pulsar Xboard MS
Performance
79
85
Build quality
78
63
Productivity
82
85
Customizability
89
69
Portability
55
61

What they share

  • Hot-swappable
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron K5 Pro vs Pulsar Xboard MS specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

16 of 27 specs differ

Keychron K5 Pro

Pulsar Xboard MS

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
—

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Tray Mount
Gasket Mount

Low profile

Yes
No

Sound dampening

No
Yes

Layout

Layout size

100%
80%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO, ISO-DE, ISO-ES, ISO-FR, ISO-Nordic, ISO-SW, ISO-UK, JIS
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

No
Yes

Display

None
None

Media keys

Yes
No

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, Wired
Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz
8,000 HzBetter

Battery

2,000 mAh
Wired only

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

ABS, Aluminum, Plastic
ABS

Plate material

—
Aluminum

Keycaps

ABS, PBT
PBT

Weight

720 g
—

Dimensions

18 x 120 x 435 mm
—

Typing angle

3°
—

Backlight

RGB, north-facing
RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

N-key rollover

Yes
No

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2023
2025

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.

Keychron K5 Pro

  • Keychron

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW

    Out of stockShips to you

  • Keychron (DE)

    ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-Nordic, ISO-FR, ISO-ES, ISO-SW

    In stockDoes not ship to you

Pulsar Xboard MS

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

Prices in USD are converted to your currency and can change at any time. KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

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