A good gaming keyboard can be an expensive prospect, but it doesn’t always have to be. Sometimes, a diamond in the rough (or in this case, from the depths of the bargain bin) can be exactly what you’re looking for at a fraction of what you've budgeted. To that end, we had high hopes for the MSI Vigor GK20 ($29), a full-size, brightly lit gaming keyboard with a bit of gamer style but no major frills attached. Alas, its chassis is chunky and its key presses are clunky, lending itself to a less-than-ideal typing experience overall, even if some of that can be forgiven with the low price.

Bargain-Bin Aesthetics

MSI has a hand in many different areas of gaming gear, from monitors to motherboards. Its keyboards are generally unremarkable—in one tested exception, we do like the MSI GK71 Sonic Mechanical Keyboard, even if it isn't an innovator. Likewise, the Vigor doesn't set itself apart; it is rather chunky for a full-size board, measuring 1.3 by 6.7 by 17.9 inches (HWD). Its plastic shell is lightweight, weighing just 1.9 pounds, and doesn’t feel substantial in any way. The cheap feel makes sense, given the price, but you can't help but notice it.

Apart from the chunkiness, at a fast glance the board does actually look good. MSI’s signature font may be hard to discern against the black keys (it resembles the font used for Sam Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man film), but you get some nifty underglow effects, and the sloped wrist rest at the bottom is a nice addition. Underneath the board are two feet that can be kicked out for additional height, and a rubber grip helps keep the board in place.

Turning our attention to the keys, you’ll notice that they are not mechanical the instant you touch them; again, no surprise or expectations here, given the price point. MSI does manufacture its own house-brand mechanical key switches, but here it opts for membrane switches. Membrane switches, sometimes referred to as rubber dome switches, use a thin, dimpled sheet of rubber or silicone that provides the rebound force for each key, as well as a semblance of tactile feedback. Beyond budget desktop boards, membrane switches are found on many lower-end laptop keyboards.

The membrane switches keep the price down, but you lose the tactile button press of mechanical keys found in many of the best budget gaming keyboards. Mechanical keyboards use individual key mechanisms backed by springs, and numerous varieties of switches and brands each come with their own quirks, such as actuation, travel time, or how loud or quiet a press will be. Proper mechanical models start at about twice the price of the Vigor, with a few models a bit less than that with off-brand mechanical switches.

You don’t need much experience to feel the difference: The Vigor feels more like a toy than a keyboard. Forget about any of that satisfaction you’d experience when using a high-end keyboard like the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro. The Vigor GK20's keystroke game is simply weak. The typing sensation is best described as spongy. It’s not uncomfortable, which is a plus, but it lacks decisive feedback that you've achieved a key press. The feel reminds us of that of the Roccat Magma Mini in that regard, though without the loud RGB lighting.

Testing the MSI Vigor GK20: Forgive the Delay

That's not to say there isn’t any RGB to speak of. The Vigor does pack in enough RGB lighting to stretch across the board, though it’s not really bright, which could be a plus or minus depending on your tastes. It's also not per-key programmable or even changeable by zone: You apply effects and tweaks to the whole board as one unit. You get four levels of brightness and two different modes: steady or breathing. You can swap modes using the Function key (stylized with MSI’s dragon logo). Dedicated media-playback control keys are absent, which does save space on the board. (These controls are shared with some of the top-row F keys and other keys, implemented as key combinations.)

The Vigor GK20 is not supported by MSI Center, MSI’s customization software, so there’s no way to further customize macros or RGB lighting. On the flip side, at least the board supports a degree of water repellence.

The Vigor also features anti-ghosting keys, but not across the whole board. The feature only covers the first 12 letter keys from the left (mind you, among the most commonly used keys for gaming). Keyboard "ghosting" is when a keyboard fails to register all key presses that happen in a flurry; a keyboard that offers anti-ghosting should avoid missing any of your presses.

Using the Vigor to play games such as Final Fantasy XIV, Phantasy Star Online 2, Minecraft Legends, and Redfall proved just fine, though I did detect a slight input delay across all the games tested. It wasn't enough to get me or my character killed, but it could mean life or death in a fast-paced shooter like Overwatch 2. And I did note, at a few particularly frenetic moments, that some button presses were missed on some keys outside of the dozen covered by the anti-ghosting feature. (The Backspace key was a frequent offender.)

Verdict: This Serviceable Vigor Needs a Stimulus

At the end of the day, the MSI Vigor is merely okay for a gaming keyboard under $50, a step up from a bundled cheapie that comes with a budget desktop, but not by much. The key feel is mushy, the chunky chassis feels lackluster, and extra features are AWOL, but if you’re looking for an inoffensive gaming keyboard that can handle the very, very basics at a bargain price, the Vigor GK20 makes for a decent temporary keyboard. At the end of the day, however, the input delay and dropped keystrokes stop it from being anything more than a keyboard destined to be replaced, and so it's no hidden gem even in the rough field of budget boards.

You can find better options if you have just slightly more money to spend. For a full-size board, consider the IOGear Kaliber Gaming Hver Stealth Keyboard or the Razer Ornata V2, which are both decent budget models that get the job done. Meanwhile, the MSI GK71 is still our favorite full-size gaming keyboard for most people.