Head to head · Prices checked Nov 9, 2026

Keychron Q65 vs Pulsar Xboard MS

Get the Keychron Q65 for qmk and via. Get the Pulsar Xboard MS for the 8,000 Hz polling rate.

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QMK

Keychron Q65

4.5 (4)4.5 · 4 reviews

from$79at Keychron

Compare 4 stores

polling rate

Pulsar Xboard MS

No reviews

from$110at MK

Compare 2 stores

Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Keychron Q65

QMK

Build quality in the top 5% of 65% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
65% layout. No function row and no numpad.

$79 at Keychron

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 numpad.

$110 at MK

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 Q65

Pulsar Xboard MS

Layout size
65%
80%
Max polling rate
1,000 Hz
8,000 Hz
Higher polling helps competitive FPS and does nothing for typing
Case material
Aluminum
ABS
QMK
Yes
No
The deep option when you want to remap every key
VIA
Yes
No
GUI remapping without compiling firmware

KeebFinder scores

How we score

Keychron Q65
Pulsar Xboard MS

Performance: 66
85
Build quality: 89
63
Productivity: 95
85
Customizability: 96
69
Portability: 70
61

What they share

Connection: Wired
Hot-swappable
Mount style: Gasket Mount
Knob
Sound dampening
Keycaps: PBT

See every spec side by side

Full specs

Keychron Q65 vs Pulsar Xboard MS specs

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

8 of 24 specs differ

Spec

Keychron Q65

Pulsar Xboard MS

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile

—

Hot-swappable

Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount

Sound dampening

Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes

Layout

Layout size

65%

80%

Layout standard

ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard

Knob

Yes

Display

None

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Wired

Max polling rate

1,000 Hz

8,000 HzBetter

USB-C

Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum

ABS

Plate material

Steel

Aluminum

Keycaps

PBT

Weight

2,420 g

—

Dimensions

34 x 121 x 363 mm

—

Typing angle

7°

—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes

VIA

Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes

Extras

Released

2022

2025

Where to buy

Compare prices

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

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Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

Keychron Q654 stores