Can I use a non-Apple keyboard with OS X?

Recently I've been thinking about the idea of migrating from PC to Mac, specifically Mac Mini. The biggest issue however is hardware, since I'm not sure what will and what won't work on OS X.

First issue that comes to my mind is keyboard, currently I'm using Logitech G15. If I connect it to a Mac, how well will this work with OS X specific keys like Option, Cmd, etc? Does it work out of the box with all keyboards, or should I rather buy the Apple keyboard?

Solution 1:

Macs work just fine with non-Apple keyboards. Alt becomes option, and the Windows key becomes the command key. And if you want to rearrange them, you can easily do so in the System Preferences:

However, I prefer to use Apple keyboards with my Mac as they have buttons on the top to control expose, volume, and pause/rewind/fastforward of media playback. Apple keyboards also have the command key better positioned for keyboard shortcuts than the Windows key is on regular keyboards.

Solution 2:

If the keyboard is USB, it should be fine. That USB thing is important though - there are no PS2 ports on a Mac. I was able to use my cymotion keyboard with no hassle, but as Kyle pointed out, I needed to remap one or two keys.