The keyboard market is vast, so start your search with our picks outlined up top of the best keyboards available. In the market for a mouse, too? Check out our top mouse picks, as well as our favorite mice for gaming and our top wireless mouse picks.

Not all keyboards are created equal. In fact, not all keyboards are even laid out the same (and we're not referring to the standard QWERTY key layout versus the Dvorak arrangement of some early ergonomic models).

Most mainstream and gaming keyboards offer a 10-key numeric keypad at right. Rarely found on laptops smaller than 15.6 inches, keypads are a necessity for anyone who frequently tallies numbers or enters data into a spreadsheet. So-called tenkeyless or TKL models, especially popular in the gaming keyboard segment, slice off the numeric pad in the interest of saving desk space and keeping your typing and mousing hands closer together. If you want to go even smaller, so-called 60% keyboards eliminate even more extra keys. Check out our 60% keyboard guide for everything you need to know about them.

Smaller distinctions include the placement of the cursor directional arrows and Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. Additionally, most current keyboards have basic media-control features such as volume, play/pause, and next/previous track keys. These are typically dedicated buttons located above the numeric pad or built into the top row of function (Fn) keys as shared-key shortcuts. Bonus points if a keyboard maker implements the volume control as a dial or roller, as seen on some high-end Corsair, Das Keyboard, and HyperX models.

If you prefer an unusual keyboard layout or just want to switch up a key or two, you may want to remap your keyboard. Our guide to keyboard remapping on Windows explains how to go about doing that.

To help stave off carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress injury, many keyboards are available with designs that put your hands into a neutral position as you type. The result is not only greater comfort, but reduced stress to joints and tendons, ultimately helping you avoid painful inflammation and the potential for expensive surgery. Ergonomic features can range from the simple (padded wrist rests) to the elaborate (a key layout sculpted to curve and slope, or a split design).

One very important ergonomic feature to look for is the ability to perform angle adjustment. This is usually accomplished by folding or flipping two plastic feet on the back of the keyboard to alter its angle relative to your wrists and forearms. Many keyboards—not only models designed specifically to be ergonomic—have these feet, and research has shown that the traditional uphill tilt is actually not ergonomically ideal. It's better to experiment with them until your keyboard is flat or even angled slightly away from your wrists. (See our guide to ergonomic keyboards.)

The simplest way to connect a keyboard to your PC is to plug its cable into a USB port. Non-gaming keyboards are usually plug-and-play devices, with no additional software to install, so connecting the cable is all the setup you'll need. Gaming keyboards, by contrast, will typically work as soon as you plug them in, but most come with their own software that lets you adjust features such as onboard RGB lighting and the assignment of macro keys. (More on that in a minute.) Some cheaper gaming models may lack software and handle key backlighting and macros/shortcuts wholly through hardware.

Besides transferring your keystrokes to the computer, a USB connection also powers the keyboard, so there are no batteries to worry about. Some premium gaming models with lots of customizable buttons and lights come with two USB cables, one for power delivery (and/or to feed an extra USB port or ports on the keyboard itself) and one for your data connection. This isn't usually a problem, since you'll likely be connecting one of these keyboards to a large gaming desktop with many available USB ports.

If you want more freedom and less cable clutter on your desk, however, it's hard to beat a wireless keyboard. Wireless models transmit data to your PC through one of two primary means: an RF connection to a small dongle plugged into one of your PC's USB ports, or a Bluetooth connection with no dongles required. Each has its pros and cons. But if you want to reduce the number of cables on your desk and gain the flexibility to use your keyboard at a distance—whether it be in your lap at your desk or across the room—wireless is the way to go.

Most wireless keyboards that use USB dongles transmit over the same 2.4GHz wireless frequency used for cordless phones and Wi-Fi routers. The dongle itself is usually a tiny rectangle—small enough to plug in and forget about. Not only is the dongle unobtrusive, but we find that the 2.4GHz signal tends to offer more stable connectivity than Bluetooth. Some manufacturers' USB dongles can control more than one device, meaning you can use a single adapter (and USB port) for both a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse, invariably from the same vendor. (Logitech, for example, refers to this setup as Logitech Unifying technology.)

Bluetooth connections make sense in certain situations; they don't monopolize a USB port, and newer versions of Bluetooth are stable, easy to manage, and offer compatibility with additional mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. In regular use, a Bluetooth connection gives you roughly 30 feet of wireless range, though we find that Bluetooth wireless keyboards tend to have briefer battery life than USB dongle devices. However, new innovations such as hand-proximity sensors boost battery life compared to older Bluetooth products, whose always-on link drained batteries quickly.

Among the few major drawbacks of mainstream wireless keyboards is that few of them feature key backlighting, which hampers one of their most useful roles: playing games, typing emails, or controlling a home theater PC in a dim den or living room. If you do find a wireless model with backlighting, be prepared to change its batteries or recharge it frequently.