Posted 31 October 2023

Gaming Laptop with US Keyboard?

I've been deal hunting for a few weeks now and just realized most deals I find in the UK are going to have the UK keyboard layout. This is totally different from what I'm used to being from the US and so I'm curious if it's possible to find laptops with a US keyboard layout here.

Thanks!
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  1. VeganPolice's avatar
    "Totally different" ?

    I'm not a gamer but the main differences are, the UK layout has:

    • an AltGr key is added to the right of the space bar
    • the # symbol is replaced by the £ symbol and a 102nd key is added next to the Enter key to accommodate the displaced #
    • @ and ” are swapped
    • the ~ is moved to the # key, and is replaced by a ¬ symbol on the backquote (`) key
    • the \ key is moved to the left of the Z key
    • the Enter key spans two rows, and is narrower to accommodate the # key
    • the | and \ key is often placed next to the space bar



    UK:

    51317618-KdKd4.jpg

    US:

    51317618-ewXdg.jpg
    DelightfulBadger's avatar
    Author
    To me that's totally off I write software and having different punctuation locations and key spacing on shift and enter are really detrimental to my speed and sanity. We have UK keyboards on campus here and it's a slog trying to use them without a typo every couple sentences.
  2. BorisK's avatar
    On Dell's web site there are two types of laptops - preconfigured and "Build your own". Some of the "Build your own" ones allow you to choose a US keyboard - e.g. dell.com/en-…top . I'd guess it's similar with Lenovo and HP. Apple let's you choose US keyboard for all laptops they sell on their site.

    I've seen some Asus laptops with US layout sold in UK too. Or have a look on eBay - a lot of sellers have laptops on sale imported from the US.

    If you find a great deal on a laptop with UK keyboard you can order a US keyboard from the likes of AliExpress and replace it. Or just use an external keyboard - you can order one from keyboardco.com/ . (edited)
    DelightfulBadger's avatar
    Author
    This is really helpful! I'm relieved to find that Dell does have the keyboard selection as an option, that might be the route I'll go down (especially with the recent deals).

    Thanks a ton for writing up all this info! You're a star.
  3. CMSeddon's avatar
    Don't think you'll find a laptop here with a US keyboard unless it's a company who imports them. This seems unlikely unless it's a make/ model not produced in the UK. You could just change the keyboard settings in the laptop to use the us layout. I have a US laptop but set the keyboard settings to UK.
    DelightfulBadger's avatar
    Author
    Good to know! Thanks, I'll be on the lookout for import companies then like amazon.com and hope they deliver the model I want abroad.

    The key remapping is a good idea, except the enter key and left shift space difference really throw me off.
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