I test a lot of keyboards, but that doesn't mean I'm always using a brand-new keyboard. I do make a point to type every keyboard review on the keyboard I'm testing, but I usually stop using the keyboard once I've finished the review. I'm a writer and a gamer, so I'm very particular when it comes to the keyboard I use every day — and it's usually difficult for me to find one keyboard that satisfies both my writing side and my gaming side. But there are a few keyboards I keep coming back to for one reason or another.

First things first: while I test a lot of keyboards, any full-size keyboard (one with a 10-key numberpad, that is), is probably going to get a second look from me. I'm the kind of person who really needs a 10-key numberpad, a full function row, and, ideally, a higher-than-average number of dedicated macro keys. While I don't personally need a volume knob — I usually map volume control to two of my mouse's 19 buttons — I won't say no to a rotary knob (or two). So this is, to some extent, informed by my preferences and isn't just a purely objective list of the best keyboards we've tested (this is a more objective list of the best keyboards we've tested), but don't worry — it's not all full-size keyboards.

My current daily driver technically isn't a full-size keyboard, but functionally it... sort of is. It's the Corsair Galleon 100 SD, which I've been using pretty consistently since I reviewed it back in February. It's technically a TKL layout — full function row, navigation cluster, and arrow keys, but no numberpad — but it has a built-in Stream Deck with two rotary knobs, 12 customizable LCD keys, and a full-color screen (non-touch). I thought I needed a numberpad, but what I really needed was... well, a bunch of extra keys next to the keyboard that basically make up a numberpad, I guess.

But the built-in Stream Deck isn't the main reason I've been using this keyboard so consistently — it's the keyboard itself. This is a great-feeling and -sounding keyboard — it comes with Corsair's MLX purple switches (linear), which are pre-lubed and have an actuation force of 45g. I don't usually like linear switches, but these are smooth, stable, and lightweight, and they have a nice thocky sound when they bottom out, which is unusual for linear switches. The keyboard's PCB is hot-swappable, but I haven't bothered switching these out because I genuinely enjoy typing on them. The keycaps are double-shot PBT, but I've noticed the alphanumeric keys are starting to get a very minor shine after three months of consistent use. And I like that they're lower profile (close to Cherry profile).

Of course, the built-in Stream Deck is definitely part of what keeps this keyboard on my desk. I still use the 12 LCD keys as a numberpad much of the time, because I use an external free cam software in several of the games I play, and its controls are set up by default to work with a numberpad. But for when I'm not using the free cam software, I've programmed in a couple pages' worth of other shortcuts (though one page is just various special characters/symbols I usually insert with Alt codes — so, technically still numberpad functionality). I'm still not fully convinced that a built-in Stream Deck trumps a numberpad, but I like the Galleon 100 SD's keyboard enough that I'm willing to work with it.

Full-size gaming keyboards are sort of hard to come by — prior to the Galleon 100 SD, I was (reluctantly) using the full-size Glorious GMMK 3 as my "numberpad keyboard," alongside the Wobkey Crush 80 Reboot Pro as my "typing keyboard." While the GMMK 3 is beautiful and super solidly built (my iteration was a custom-built wireless full-size version with a full aluminum case and magnetic tactile switches), its typing experience leaves something to be desired. Enough "something" that I switched it out for the Crush 80 Reboot Pro if I knew I was going to be just typing for a while. Occasionally, I also switched it out with the Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro, which is a full-size wireless low profile keyboard with optical switches (it comes with both linear and clicky switch options; I like the clicky switch version), just because it was easier to quickly switch between the DeathStalker V2 Pro and the Crush 80 Reboot Pro — the GMMK 3 is not only one of the heaviest keyboards I own, the way its base flares outward makes it very difficult to pick up.

As for why I swapped in the Crush 80 Reboot Pro, well, that's pretty simple: It's one of the best feeling and sounding keyboards I've used, and it's just so enjoyable to type on. It's a wireless TKL keyboard, which means it has a full function row, arrow keys, and navigation cluster but no 10-key numberpad (and no built-in Stream Deck or any extra macro keys to make up for that), but I tend to use it in wired mode because the wireless switch is located under the Caps Lock key. It comes with Kailh Cocoa switches, which are factory-lubed linear switches with an operating force of 45g and a bottom-out force of 55g, and these sound incredible — crisp, creamy, and very satisfying when they hit the board's gasket-mounted flex-cut FR4 switch plate. The board has excellent acoustics overall, thanks to additional Poron case foam and extra PCB film for consistency. However, the board isn't really set up for gaming, as it only gets a 500 Hz polling rate over its wired connections (and only 250 Hz over its wireless connection).

Another keyboard I still sometimes switch in as a daily driver between testing is the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, which has been at the top of our list of best wireless gaming keyboards for a while now. I don't love 96-percent keyboards because I can't quite get used to the layout, but it is significantly more compact than full-size keyboards and sometimes I do actually need my desk space back. For comparison, the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is 14.84 inches (377mm) wide, while the Galleon 100 SD is 17.64 inches (448mm) wide and the GMMK 3 is 18.2 inches (462mm) wide. The DeathStalker V2 Pro is 17.2 inches (437mm) wide, while the Crush 80 Reboot Pro is 14 inches (355mm) wide. That's right — the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is less than an inch wider than the Crush 80 Reboot Pro, which is a true TKL keyboard.

If I ignore its 96-percent layout, the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is almost perfect — it's compact and lightweight, but it still sounds fantastic thanks to its case, which is plastic (with an aluminum alloy top plate) but is stuffed with case-dampening foam. It comes with Asus' ROG NX Snow switches, which are linear, pre-lubed, and have an actuation force of 45g, but I've since switched these out for other switches (Kailh White Owl Box switches — clicky and tactile). While the NX Snows do have that "refined linear" feel that Asus keeps boasting about, I'm not a big on linear switches to begin with — Corsair's Galleon 100 SD and Wobkey's Crush 80 Reboot Pro are exceptions.

The Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless, which launched barely two months ago, is sort of the successor to the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless — sort of. It's also a wireless 96-percent hot-swappable gaming keyboard with a gasket mount design, and it also sounds and feels pretty good, but it doesn't offer much if you're already using the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless. It comes with Asus NX V2 switches (we tested the linear Snow V2 switches), but that's the only real "upgrade" — and since I've already swapped out the switches in the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, this didn't seem worth the switch.

It might seem like I'm just jumping on every full-size or nearly full-size gaming keyboard that comes across my desk, but that's definitely not true. I recently looked at Keychron's new Q6 Ultra 8K, which is a pretty impressive board on paper: full aluminum case, 8,000 Hz polling rate, and up to 660 hours of battery life over said 8,000 Hz polling rate. It comes with Keychron's Silk POM switches in three flavors (Red/linear, Brown/tactile, or Banana/tactile), and we tested the Brown tactile switches, which are pre-lubed, with an operating force of 55g and a soft tactile bump. I fully expected to love this keyboard, but I just could not get into the typing experience. I think it was a mix of the switches — I'm very particular about tactile switches, it turns out, and Keychron's Silk POM Brown switches were slightly too heavy with not enough feedback for me — and the keycaps. The keycaps, which are double-shot PBT in a KSA profile, are just so, so high for how deeply curved their tops are. They were uncomfortable from the start, and they didn't get more comfortable with use — and combined with the heavier actuation and unsatisfying tactility of the switches, it was just an awful overall typing experience for me.

While it's true that both the keycaps and the switches in this keyboard can be swapped out pretty easily, the other features didn't really stand out enough for me to make that effort. The keyboard's 660-hour battery life over an 8,000 Hz polling rate is very impressive, but I don't really need a wireless full-size keyboard like this — it measures 17.56 inches (446mm) wide and weighs nearly 5 pounds (4.93lbs / 2,238g); it's not going further from my desk than any cable can stretch.

Cherry's gaming branch, Cherry XTRFY, introduced the first 8K ultra-wideband gaming keyboard at Computex 2026 earlier today. The new K63W Pro features a 70-percent layout, gasket mount construction, and low-profile switches for a slim, compact, gaming powerhouse with ultra-low latency and high throughput. The keyboard will debut in the EU in early July for €179.99 and will launch in the U.S. in August at $169.99.

It's not the first 8K gaming keyboard, but it is the first with ultra-wideband technology — a short-range, high-frequency wireless technology that's less prone to signal interference than 2.4GHz wireless. This means the keyboard will have a more stable high-speed connection that won't mess with (or be messed with by) other wireless peripherals, such as wireless gaming mice or headsets. The keyboard gets true 8,000 Hz polling over both its wired and wireless connections, which is still probably overkill for most users but means it should (in theory) be the fastest, most responsive gaming keyboard on the market when it launches.

“With the K63W Pro, we wanted to evolve wireless gaming even further. Ultra-Wideband technology and 8K polling deliver extreme performance, while the carefully tuned gasket construction creates a typing feel you would never expect from a low-profile keyboard. The result is a keyboard built for both competitive gaming and hours of daily typing,” Joakim Jansson, Director of Product Management at Cherry, said in a press release.

Design-wise, the K63W Pro is a 70-percent keyboard — meaning it keeps the full function row and arrow keys, but drops the single-key navigation row you see on the more typical 75-percent layout. Cherry says this new layout is "optimized for gaming, keeping the F-row while reducing side bulk to maximize space for mouse movement." In addition to a modified layout, the keyboard is also low-profile — featuring Cherry's MX Low Profile 2.0 switches in a gasket mount design, which creates a typing experience that "feels controlled, cushioned, and surprisingly deep for its size" (according to Cherry).

The keyboard also has a 6,000 mAh battery that delivers up to 1,100 hours of usage, "depending on settings such as polling rate and RGB intensity." We'll assume this means that it won't get 1,100 hours over an 8,000 Hz polling rate, but who knows — Keychron's ZMK-based Q Ultra series gets up to 660 hours of battery life over 8,000 Hz polling rates, so maybe the K63W Pro will surprise us.

The Cherry XTRFY K63W Pro will launch in the EU in July and will hit shelves in the U.S. in August, with retail prices of €179.99 and $169.99, respectively.

For most of the past 20 years, black and red have been the iconic colors of Asus’ ROG brand. But to celebrate two decades of the Republic of Gamers, the company has settled on a black-and-gold motif, which we’ve already seen on its RAM and other components in a Computex teaser. This also extends to peripherals, as seen with the Asus ROG 20th anniversary Harpe II Extreme Edition mouse and the Asus ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20 wireless gaming keyboard that we’re looking at here.

The 75% clacker is a reimagining of the carbon fiber-adorned ROG Azoth Extreme we looked at in 2024, with a mix of transparent and partially transparent keycaps (the primary keys have traditional black crowns with transparent sides, while the rest of the caps are a smoky, glossy plastic. It’s also $100 more expensive than the launch price of the previous Azoth. There’s also a gold metal jog wheel, as well as gold accents along the back, magnetic gold feet (in two sizes), and even gold screws holding the whole thing together. And, naturally, the RGB backlighting under the switches defaults to a gold color out of the box. If nothing else, this is a much bolder design than the original ROG Azoth Extreme.

Asus ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20 Specs

Design and features

At nearly 3.5 pounds with an all-metal chassis, the ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20 feels a bit unnecessarily solid, and overkill definitely feels like part of the design at a fundamental level. The silicone-and-metal wrist rest adds an extra 1.3 pounds on its own, and doesn’t attach to the keyboard. But with silicon feet and so much heft, it’s not likely to move unless you want it to, just like the keyboard itself.

Asus says at least some of the accents are 24 karat gold-plated, as is the removable plate on the back. The chamfered edges on the top plate are also gold colored, as is the rocker knob to the right of the 1.47-inch color touchscreen.

The 2.4 GHz connection (Bluetooth and wired operation are also supported) supports 8K polling, but just like the previous Azoth Extreme, you’ll need to use the included Polling Rate Booster dongle to get the top refresh rate. The screen can play animations, show photos, and show system stats – there’s even a built-in keystrokes per second counter that Asus says is for music and rhythm games. Moving through the various modes is as easy as swiping horizontally on the screen.

The back is where you’ll find a nice chunky switch for the three connectivity modes (wired is in the middle, and the keyboard supports charging while tethered), with the USB-C port on the opposite corner. Presumably, the plastic section in the middle, apart from being a space to write out “Republic of Gamers” is there to allow wireless connectivity through the otherwise heavy metal chassis.

A lot is happening on the bottom of the ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20, which is where you can attach one of two pairs of gold feet via magnets if you like a little lift in the back. There is also a name plate, which is gold-plated on one side, and a more ROG-traditional black, white, and red on the other.

The plate is also held on by magnets, and removing it reveals a slot for storing the slim 2.4 GHz SpeedNova dongle, as well as the two-way switch for adjusting the rigidity of the keyboard’s gasket mount. But just as I said when I saw the original Azoth Extreme at CES 2024, the difference in feel between the two modes makes less of a difference than moving between switch types. Both options feel pretty rigid. I suspect most owners will play with the gasket switch a few times, then leave it in one position for months or years.

Carbon fiber remains in the keyboard’s positioning plate, and the transparent linear ROG NX Snow switches are factory-lubed, resulting in a smooth feel and a pleasing clack while typing with no discernible ping. There is also a tactile NX Snow switch, but our model came with the linear option. This is one of the nicest-feeling and sounding gaming-specific keyboards I’ve used to date – given the price, that’s not particularly surprising.

Accessories

Aside from the keyboard, wireless dongle, and the backplate, Asus includes three extra switches (which is kinda skimpy, given the price), along with a metal switch puller and a plastic keycap remover. You also get a 2-meter braided cable, as well as the Polling Rate Booster, which you’ll need if you want a faster response time than the 1,000 Hz that’s supported by the keyboard itself. But since the switches here are mechanical rather than magnetic, 1,000 pings per second is probably enough for the majority of gamers.

Web-based adjustability

I’m not the biggest fan of Armory Crate (or any gaming peripheral software suite, to be honest), so I like that Asus makes heavy use of its Gear Link (https://gearlink.asus.com/) web app for keyboard control here. With the mouse plugged into your system, you can dig pretty deep into the settings via the site.

The settings here feel a little limited compared to theoptions with the 20th Anniversary Harpe II mouse. But you can assign keys and key combinations. Macro recording is supported on the fly by pressing the Fn and Left Alt key to start and stop macros, then pressing the key you want it assigned to.

There are also lots of options for adjusting the screen and the RGB lighting. I particularly like the Music Mode preset, which lets you display an animation and artist / track listing of whatever song you’re listening to. There’s also an option for displaying CPU and GPU stats, including frequency, temperature, fan speed, voltage, and use. There are enough options for the screen (and they’re easy to navigate, thanks to touch and the jog button) that I feel like the screen here is something I would use and fiddle with quite a bit if this were my main keyboard.

Gaming (and working) with the Asus ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20

While I didn’t have as much time with the keyboard as I would have liked before jumping on a plane to Taipei for Computex, I did use it for work and gaming for about a week. While I generally prefer clicky switches for writing, lubed linear switches have either gotten good enough, or I have gotten used to them enough that I don’t mind using them for productivity tasks. And the linear NX Snow switches here, combined with the general overall quality of the rest of the keyboard, meant I was happy to work on this keyboard for hours – the somewhat muted and very solid sound (and feel) of the keyboard certainly helped.

And whether I was slicing through demons in Doom: The Dark Ages, racking up headshots in Borderlands 4, or checking out the new expansion pack in Dome Keeper, the Asus ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20 kept my gaming fingers happy. I can’t say that the keyboard made me a better gamer, but it certainly didn’t make me worse, or require much in the way of adjustment. Some gamers may miss the extra programmable keys that would come with a larger key layout, but I’ve personally always found 75% the sweet spot for both work and play.

ROG Keycap Mystery Box Edition 20

Asus also sent along a case of blind box 20th Edition keycaps that it will also sell to commemorate two decades of ROG, which are priced at $24.99. They are tiny replicas of other ROG products, like mice, keyboards, and headsets. There’s a mystery cap that I didn’t get in my box, but of the six standard blind box keycaps, my favorite by far is the ROG Chariot gaming chair, because the chair spins, and I spent at least five minutes with it affixed to the Escape switch, snapping it and watching it spin. Either it’s a great momentary escape all on its own, or I really need a break after I get back from Computex. There must be a grass-themed keycap, right?

Keychron first announced its new Q6 Ultra 8K at CES 2026 — a full-size, wireless mechanical keyboard with a hot-swappable PCB and up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate. Which isn't too unique, until you take a look at the rated battery life: up to 660 hours, over a 2.4GHz wireless connection with an 8,000 Hz polling rate (and the lighting turned off). That's significantly longer than any other 8 KHz polling rate keyboard (or peripheral), and it's because the Q6 Ultra 8K is one of the new Keychron keyboards that utilizes ZMK firmware instead of QMK firmware — ZMK is optimized for wireless efficiency, and, well, it clearly makes a difference.

The Q6 Ultra 8K is a large, sturdily-built keyboard with a full aluminum body and double-shot PBT keycaps, which makes it a good option for gamers who want a full-size board (there aren't that many out there). But it's going to need more than a very impressive battery life to land a spot on our list of best wireless keyboards. The Q6 Ultra 8K is available now for $239.99, in both black and white colorways.

Design and Construction of the Q6 Ultra 8K

The Q6 Ultra 8K is a wireless mechanical keyboard with a roomy, full-size layout, an all-metal build, and a double-gasket design. It comes fully assembled, with a programmable rotary knob, in black (black case and black and dark gray keycaps with teal accent keys) or white (white case and white and gray keycaps with red accent keys). Our review unit came in black.

The Q6 Ultra 8K is a sturdy, well-built keyboard housed in an all-metal chassis. Unsurprisingly, it's pretty hefty, weighing in at just under five pounds (4.93lbs / 2,238g). Its black aluminum top case features sharply angled corners and a moderately-sized bezel; it's not particularly unique, but it does look very clean. The bottom case is slightly smaller — also black aluminum, with a standard 5.3-degree typing angle. The back features a decorative gold-colored back plate with a futuristic celestial pattern printed on it.

This is a large, full-size keyboard, with alphanumeric keys, a full navigation cluster, a 10-key numberpad, and a set of four extra macro keys above the numberpad. It measures approximately 17.56 inches (446mm) wide by 5.39 inches (137mm) deep, and is 1.22 inches (31.09mm) high at the back, not including the keycaps. With the keycaps, it's just under 2 inches (50mm) high at the back, and is approximately 1.37 inches (34.8mm) at the front. It's a relatively high keyboard, and I expect most people will feel more comfortable with a wrist rest.

The keyboard comes with double-shot PBT keycaps in a KSA profile, which is a Keychron redesign of the SA profile. The keycaps are tall, with sculpted rows and narrow, deeply curved tops. They have printed, non-shine-through legends, and a few keys have secondary legends printed (in a smaller, gray font) in the lower right corners. The keyboard's function row doubles as its media keys (set up for Mac users), and there's a CNC aluminum rotary knob located between the function row and the navigation cluster. The knob is clickable, notched, and well-made, and can be programmed in Keychron's companion app.

There's a USB-C charging port along the top left of the keyboard, as well as two switches — a power switch that lets you toggle between 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth, and a Win/Mac switch that lets you toggle between PC and Mac modes. While I'm definitely not a Mac person, one thing that's nice about the switch is that the function row is already set up to perform media/lighting functions in Mac mode, which means you can just flip the switch and access your media keys and then flip it back to access your function keys. (Yes, you can also use the Fn key, which is made for just this, but I don't use media keys that often.)

In the box, the Q6 Ultra 8K comes with several accessories: a 6-foot (1.8m) braided detachable USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, a USB extender, and a 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle. It also comes with a screwdriver and a hex key for opening the board up, a dual keycap/switch puller, extra gaskets and screws, and alternate keycaps for Windows/Mac users.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Q6 Ultra 8K

The Q6 Ultra 8K is a mechanical keyboard with a hot-swappable PCB. It comes with your choice of Keychron Silk POM switches, in Red (linear), Brown (tactile), or Banana (tactile). Our review unit came with Keychron Silk POM switches in Brown, which have an operating force of 55g, a pre-travel distance of 2mm, and an overall travel distance of 4mm. The switches are factory-lubed and tactile, which means they have a tactile bump — though it's a very soft tactile bump — but no audible click when pressed.

I didn't really like typing on the Q6 Ultra 8K for a couple of reasons. The combination of switches and keycaps just wasn't for me. I'm picky about tactile switches, and the Keychron Silk POM Browns were a little too heavy to actuate and the soft tactile bump made them feel more like sticky linear switches than actual tactile switches. The switches were relatively smooth and stable overall, but the higher keycap profile and heavier actuation meant I found myself missing a few keystrokes here and there. Moving my fingers across the board felt sluggish, even though typing tests suggested that my speed and accuracy didn't take a significant hit. I managed to consistently type at around 115 words per minute (wpm) at 98% accuracy on this board, which is worse than my typical speed of around 125 wpm, but not that much worse. However, it definitely felt worse, and I was still missing letters occasionally, even after a week of using the board.

The keyboard sounds pretty decent — the case is well-dampened, and the switches give you a slightly bright, clacky sound with each stroke. It's not my favorite sounding keyboard, but nothing stood out as problematic.

As far as gaming goes, the Q6 Ultra 8K is pretty solid. The higher-profile keycaps didn't bother me while I was gaming, as I'm not usually trying to hit quite as many different keys in quick succession — and travel distance between keys isn't as much of an issue. The keyboard doesn't have magnetic switches — though there is a magnetic switch version of this keyboard, the Keychron Q6 HE 8K — so it doesn't benefit from things like RapidTrigger, but it does have an 8 KHz polling rate and an impressive battery life (when the lighting is turned off), which means it might be worth a look if you want a high polling rate and you hate plugging things in.

Features and Software of the Q6 Ultra 8K

The Q6 Ultra 8K can be configured via Keychron's web-based Keychron Launcher. While I agree that the trend of web apps can be frustrating for those who want to adjust their keyboard settings and don't have an internet connection, this is a large, full-size keyboard — I don't think most people are going to be traveling with it, and are likely to be connected to the internet whenever they want to go in and tweak settings.

You can do several things in the web app, including remapping keys, setting up snap action, recording macros, adjusting the keyboard's backlighting, updating the firmware, and changing other settings. The keyboard does ship with an 8,000 Hz polling rate out of the box, so you don't need to connect the keyboard to the app (unlike most 8 KHz polling rate peripherals, which ship with 1,000 Hz polling rates and require you to go in and change the polling rate).

Perhaps the most impressive feature of the Q6 Ultra 8K is its battery life, which Keychron rates at up to 660 hours with an 8,000 Hz polling rate and the backlighting turned off. This does drop to just 200 hours with the backlighting turned on at its lowest level, but that's still pretty good considering the 8 KHz polling rate. The reason this keyboard is so much more efficient than most wireless 8 KHz polling peripherals is because it uses ZMK firmware (instead of QMK), which is optimized for wireless performance.

The Bottom Line

The Keychron Q6 Ultra 8K is a full-size wireless mechanical keyboard with a wildly impressive battery life. While most wireless peripherals with an 8,000 Hz battery life can barely last a full day without needing to be plugged in, the Q6 Ultra 8K can last months — even with the backlighting turned on. Which is great — however, perhaps not quite as necessary in a full-size keyboard like this. (Where are you going with it, that you can't plug it in every once in a while?)

While it wasn't my favorite keyboard for typing, it is hot-swappable and, with different keycaps, could be perfectly usable. Plus, there aren't that many full-size wireless gaming keyboards on the market, as many gamers prefer something more compact — like a TKL or a 75-percent, or even a 96-percent like the Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless we recently looked at.

HyperX, HP’s gaming subsidiary, is back with new peripherals, and today we’re looking at its newest 1800-sized keyboard — the Eve 1800. The Eve is a $50 membrane-style keyboard that features RGB backlighting, dedicated volume keys... and that’s about it. In 2026, there are definitely keyboards you can get for less than $50, such as the Keychron C2 Full Size, or the Redragon K582. And if you can afford to spend a little more than $50, there are a lot of budget mechanical keyboards worth checking out. With all the options available, is there even any room for a $50 membrane-style keyboard?

Specs

Design

The HyperX Eve 1800 is a non-mechanical keyboard, utilizing membrane switches, 10 zones of RGB lighting, 12-key rollover with dedicated volume keys, and a price tag of just $50. While $50 might seem “cheap” for a keyboard, there are many options on the market that offer more customization than does the Eve 1800.

The 1800-size keyboard name isn’t thrown around too often, because it’s usually referred to as a 96-percent. Similar to how the 80-percent keyboard is usually referred to as "tenkeyless," 1800 is just a different name for the 96-percent size. This means it's not quite full-size — it has fewer keys, and it also moves the numberpad over next to the alphanumeric keys to save on space. And it does save on space, measuring 16.11 inches (409.2mm) wide, 5.60 inches (144.6mm) deep, and 1.4 inches (35.1mm) at its thickest point without keycaps.

While the HyperX Eve 1800 sounds pretty decent on paper, it isn’t a great keyboard — and it feels almost obsolete in 2026. The biggest issue with the Eve is the location of the volume keys. The volume keys are on the left side of the keyboard, which means it shifts all of the other keys to the right.

One of the only good features about this board is the 10-key numberpad, which is practical for day-to-day use and is useful for MMORPGs (or any game that calls for a boat load of keybinds). In addition, I love the dedicated media keys; I feel like dedicated media keys have become forgotten in today’s keyboard market. Unfortunately, the HyperX Eve 1800 only features volume adjustment and has nothing dedicated to skipping songs. In addition, the buttons feel really mushy and cheap.Have you ever had a button on an Xbox or PlayStation controller become sticky? That’s what it feels like to use the volume keys on this keyboard. Sure, they work — but they aren't pleasant to use — and the board suffers from an awkward layout because of it.

The rest of the board is pretty basic, design-wise. The entire board is made of brittle plastic and it's very light, but not in a good way. The back features two sets of flip-up feet for angle adjustment, and the board has a non-detachable rubber cable that feels like it will kink up in a couple of years (or less).

Typing and Gaming Experience on the HyperX Eve 1800

My friends and I have been tinkering with modded Minecraft servers, so that was the game I was playing during my time with the HyperX Eve 1800. Because Minecraft is a simple game to operate, I didn't feel too hindered by the keyboard’s design — other than the times when I had to use text chat. The Eve doesn’t even sport any “gaming” features except for the tactility of the membrane switches, and 12-key rollover, which are present in almost every keyboard nowadays.

I struggled to type with the HyperX Eve 1800 due to the location of the volume keys. For example, when I would type the letter “A,” I would accidentally hit the caps lock key instead, which was very frustrating. I did get used to the Eve 1800 fairly quickly, but I continued to make more typos than I normally do throughout my testing.I want to add that this isn’t a common occurrence for 1800 or 96-percent keyboards. When I reviewed the Epomaker TH96, which has an even more cramped layout, I never experienced any typing mishaps.

Nothing really stood out when typing or gaming with the HyperX Eve 1800. Since the switches are membrane, the typing experience isn’t any different from the standard Dell keyboard the IT department provides you with at your nine-to-five. But if you haven’t used a membrane keyboard in a long time (or, for some reason, haven’t used one at all), the bottom-out feels mushy and it's nowhere near as satisfying as a mechanical switch. That said, I actually do normally enjoy the sound and feel of membrane switches, so it was a shame this board handicapped my ability to type as much as it did.

I understand that some keyboards take time to get used to — especially ergonomic ones, such as the ErgoDox — but at least with ergonomic keyboards you'll (hopefully) benefit from using them, in the long run. The HyperX Eve 1800, however, is not an ergonomic keyboard, and it doesn't have any features that make it worth the adjustment period.

Software

The HyperX Eve 1800 utilizes the company’s NGENUITY software, which is the same program that powers the Origins 2 65 we recently reviewed. While you can remap any key, you cannot adjust the lighting on a per-key basis. Instead, you’re bound to adjusting zones of the board or the following light modes: alternating, solid, swipe, breathing, calming waves, twinkle, confetti, sunrise and surging waves.

All in all, NGENUITY is a decent piece of software, but I don’t think it will find much use if you decide to buy the HyperX Eve 1800, since your ability to customize the board is pretty limited.

Bottom Line

I hate to say it, but I genuinely do not know what HyperX (or HP) was thinking when it designed the Eve 1800. Especially when you can get a decent mechanical keyboard for the same price, or maybe $20 - $30 more — there are plenty on our list of best budget mechanical keyboards. When using the Eve 1800, I found myself wondering — did HyperX even test this board’s design? The Eve 1800 does come with RGB lighting, and, because it's an 1800-sized board (96-percent — with almost the same amount of keys as a full-size board, but more compact), it does allow for more desk space...but there are many better options on the market.

The thing that bothers me the most with the HyperX Eve 1800 is that you’re not really benefiting from using it over any other keyboard. I understand there’s a learning curve for some keyboards, like the ErgoDox, but that board is designed to prevent RSI (repetitive stress injuries) and offers a lot of customization. The Eve 1800 is just like any membrane keyboard — but with the added issue of having to get used to a slightly-off layout.

Asus' ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless has been at the top of our best wireless gaming keyboards list for a while, and it's not hard to see why — it's a well-made, hot-swappable mechanical gaming keyboard with a compact but versatile 96-percent layout and fantastic battery life.

The Strix Morph 96 is a wireless hot-swappable gaming keyboard with a gasket mount design and a compact 96-percent layout. It features bright per-key RGB lighting with lightbars along the sides, a side-mounted customizable rotary knob and button, and three forms of connectivity — 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired (USB-C). It's available now, and it retails for $139.99.

Design and Construction of the Strix Morph 96

The Strix Morph 96 is a wireless mechanical gaming keyboard with a compact 96-percent layout, which means it has alphanumeric keys, a full set of function keys, arrow keys, a 10-key numberpad, and five navigation keys (Home, Ins, Del, PgUp, and PgDn). It's got almost as many keys as does a full-size keyboard, but everything is squished together. There's definitely a learning curve with the cramped layout (I, personally, have never been able to fully get used to the 96-percent layout, even after months and months of using one), but if you don't mind having your arrow keys practically on top of your punctuation, it can definitely save some desk space.

The Strix Morph 96 measures approximately 15.67 inches (398mm) wide by 5.28 inches (134mm) deep, and is 1.54 inches (39mm) thick at its thickest point, including the keycaps. This is slightly larger than my favorite 96-percent Asus Rog Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, which measures 14.84 x 5.16 x 1.57 inches (377 x 131 x 40mm), but is still smaller than most full-size keyboards. The board weighs just under 2.5 pounds (2.48lbs / 1,125g), which is a little heavier than the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless (2.23lbs / 1,012g) but lighter than the original Asus ROG Azoth (2.61lbs / 1,186g).

The Strix Morph 96 Wireless is a nicely-built board, with a machined aluminum top case in matte gunmetal gray over a black plastic bottom case. The top case has sharp, clean edges and covers the top, front, and back of the board — the sides, which have LED lightstrips, are plastic. Asus' Republic of Gamers branding is subtle(ish) — for Asus, anyway. "Republic of Gamers" and the ROG eye logo is printed in white on the black spacebar; "Republic of Gamers" is also integrated into the lightbar on the left side (but not the right). On the back of the board, you'll see a larger ROG eye logo incorporated into the decorative texture.

Okay, it's not that subtle. But if you want it to be even less subtle, Asus includes three ROG-branded translucent keycaps to replace the Esc key and the two Enter keys (alphanumeric and numpad). It also includes an alternate Ctrl keycap for those who can't stand the look of the Copilot key.

The Strix Morph 96 Wireless comes with doubleshot ABS keycaps with white printed legends. The keycaps are low profile (Cherry profile, or close), with a lightly textured matte finish and sculpted rows. There are secondary legends printed on the sides of the keycaps for onboard media and lighting control, as well as for macOS users. The keyboard is macOS-friendly and you can easily switch between PC and Mac mode with a keyboard shortcut (Fn + Tab).

The keyboard also has a notched, clickable plastic rotary knob on the left side, near the top. It's paired with a small square button located right above it, which cycles through the various functions when clicked. The knob is semi-customizable — it comes with three preset functions that you can cycle through out of the box: Volume (click to mute), media track (click to play/pause), and keyboard brightness adjustment (click to set to 100% / 0%). These functions can be turned off in Asus' new web-based Gear Link app, but they can't be modified.

There's also a fourth customizable function, which is set to act as a scroll wheel by default (click for left mouse button functionality). You can change this to perform keyboard, mouse, and multimedia functions, or to quickly access an app or Windows shortcut (though your options are still pretty limited — it can open Copilot or perform about six basic shortcuts, such as copy/paste). This is a little disappointing, as the knob is somewhat unique — there aren't many left-side knobs. I'm not a big rotary knob person in the first place, but I did find myself using this one to scroll, occasionally. I'd like to see more customizability, however, as the preset functions are ones I won't use — I map my volume and media controls to my mouse buttons, and I don't really fiddle with lighting outside of initial setup.

On the back of the keyboard, you'll find two sets of plastic flip-out feet for adjusting the board's tilt. Along the top, there's a USB-C port for charging/wired connectivity, power switch that lets you toggle between 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth, and dongle storage for the board's 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle.

In the box, the Strix Morph 96 comes with a handful of accessories, including a 6.5-foot (2m) rubber USB-C to USB-A cable, a USB extender, a 2-in-1 keycap and switch puller, extra translucent accent keycaps, and a torx wrench for opening the case. The keyboard is designed so you can easily open it and tinker around inside — the top case is held on with five screws and the board can be disassembled without flipping it over.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Strix Morph 96 Wireless

The Strix Morph 96 Wireless comes with your choice of Asus' NX V2 mechanical switches in Snow V2 (linear) or Storm V2 (clicky). Our review unit came with the Snow V2 (linear) switches, which the brand describes as "refined linear" — factory-lubed linear switches with a 40gf initial force (53gf total force) and an actuation point of 1.8mm. This isn't the first time I've used these switches, and they're pretty nice for linear switches: Smooth, stable, speedy, and lightweight — perfect for gaming, and surprisingly pleasant for typing.

Like most of Asus' gaming keyboards today, the Strix Morph 96 Wireless also comes with a hot-swappable PCB that accepts both 3- and 5-pin mechanical switches, so you can swap in your own switches if you don't find Asus' options appealing.

Typing on the Strix Morph 96 is a very pleasant experience — more pleasant than I was expecting, and I already had somewhat high expectations given Asus' track record with gaming keyboards. The linear switches are smooth and lightweight, which, combined with the low-profile, textured keycaps, makes it easy to type quickly for long periods without feeling any fatigue. The keyboard does feature a gasket mount design and a translucent PC positioning plate — it's comfortable to type on, and it gives off a crisp, clacky sound. There are two layers of dampening material in the case, but case ping was pretty minimal. It wasn't the most perfect-sounding keyboard I've used, but for a relatively budget-friendly mainstream gaming keyboard, it's impressive.

The NX Snow V2 linear switches are excellent for gaming, as they're smooth and swift with quick actuation so your fingers can fly across the board without any second guesses (or re-presses). The extra keys in a 96-percent keyboard are also handy for games that need extra keybinds (and it's not nearly as difficult to get used to the 96-percent layout when you're gaming, as opposed to touch-typing). This is still a mechanical keyboard, not a magnetic one — while Asus does have some gaming-oriented functionality you can turn on in its Gear Link app, including "Speed Tap," the brand's implementation of SOCD, you won't find Hall Effect-specific features such as RapidTrigger.

Features and Software of the Strix Morph 96 Wireless

The Strix Morph 96 is fully customizable via Asus' new online app, Gear Link. You can use Gear Link to customize the keyboard without plugging the keyboard in (provided the 2.4GHz dongle is plugged in), which is convenient (and unique — most web-based apps require a wired connection to work). You can use Gear Link to remap keys (though you only get one, limited secondary Fn layer), turn on and adjust Speed Tap, customize the rotary knob and lighting, and adjust the power settings.

It's not entirely web-based, however. Asus simply cannot stop itself from installing software on your PC — if you'd like to do things like record and setup macros or customize the rotary knob to open up a website or input a preset string of text when you turn/click it, you'll need to download and install the appropriate Gear Link Companion "extension" app. Gear Link Companion apps are smaller extension apps that let you access more of your device's functionality, but they need to be installed on your PC (and you do need to restart your PC upon installation). So close, Asus... so close.

The Strix Morph 96 Wireless offers three forms of connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired (via USB-C). Asus rates the board's battery life at 590 hours over a 2.4GHz wireless connection with the lighting turned off; that number drops to around 100 hours with the lighting turned on. In Bluetooth mode, the battery is rated for about 750 hours with the lighting turned off (110 hours with the lighting turned on). This isn't quite as impressive as the Asus Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, which gets 1,500 hours of battery life over a 2.4GHz wireless connection with the lighting turned off (90 hours with the lighting turned on, though, so it seems like the Strix Morph 96 Wireless' lighting might be a tad more efficient).

The Bottom Line

The ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless is everything I've come to expect from Asus' keyboards — it has a nice, clean build, it's comfortable to type on and excellent for gaming, and it gets excellent battery life. I'm a big fan of the move to this new Gear Link app (even if I felt slightly tricked when I still had to download an extra companion app), as it works well and doesn't add 75 unnecessary background processes like Armoury Crate does. At $140, the ROG Strix Morph 96 is also much more budget-friendly than the ROG Azoth line (the Azoth X debuted with a retail price more than twice this — $300 — last year).

But I'll also point out that at this exact moment, the pricier Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is currently selling for $129.99 at Best Buy. That's $50 off of its debut retail price ($179.99), $80 off its "current retail price" of $209.99, and still $10 less than the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless. The ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless also has a 96-percent layout, a hot-swappable PCB, a similarly-limited multi-function roller, and it feels and sounds great. It also comes with a wrist rest, double-shot PBT keycaps, and significantly better battery life (even though the ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless' battery life is pretty impressive).

Keyboards aren't like other components — you don't need to upgrade every couple of years, and the tech is largely the same (just implemented differently), so the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is still a great buy. The ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless will probably end up being a good option in the future, once the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless clears shelves, but for now... I'd wait.

Remember when all electronics came in the same general color scheme of off-white / beige / slightly gray? While Epomaker's RT82 isn't quite as gimmicky as 8BitDo's NES-inspired retro keyboards, it's still a little gimmicky. It features an off-white all-plastic case with light gray accent keys, and in the upper-right corner, you'll find a magnetic detachable mini color LCD screen designed to look like an old-school computer monitor. The screen displays whatever you want it to: the date/time, a custom picture or gif, or your keypresses in real time.

But we're not looking at the RT82 for its screen (which is detachable, anyway). This 75-percent wireless mechanical keyboard is extremely quiet, with hot-swappable switches, lower-profile dye-sub PBT keycaps, and five layers of sound dampening in the case. It also features a 1,000 Hz polling rate and N-key rollover, so you can use it for work or play. It comes in one color (with two switch options) and normally retails for $85.99 but is currently on sale for $77.39 at Amazon. While it's not the absolute cheapest keyboard we've seen, its current sale price puts it right within the price range of our best budget mechanical keyboards.

Design and Construction of the RT82

The RT82 is a retro-inspired wireless mechanical keyboard with a 75-percent layout — that means it has alphanumeric keys, arrow keys, and a full function row, as well as a single column of navigation keys (Home, Delete, PgUp, and PgDn). In the top right corner, where many 75-percent boards have rotary knobs or a couple of extra navigation keys, the RT82 has a mini LCD screen designed to look like a retro monitor. The screen attaches magnetically via pogo pins (which is probably a good thing, as it means you can store the keyboard without worrying about snapping the screen off).

The keyboard is fairly compact, measuring 12.86 inches (326.7mm) wide by 5.64 inches (143.2mm) deep, and is about 1.57 inches (39.8mm) high (at its thickest point but not counting the detachable "monitor"). The front of the keyboard is 0.86 inches (21.8mm) high — not so high that you need a wrist rest to be comfortable, but you might still want one. It weighs just under 2 pounds (1.94lbs / 879g).

Unlike a lot of mechanical keyboards on the not-quite-gaming side, the RT82 features an all-plastic build with a matte plastic ivory case and dye-sublimated PBT keycaps in the same color, with light gray accent keys (plus three one-off accent keys in salmon, sage green, and dark gray). The keycaps have printed legends — not shine-through, though the keyboard does have per-key RGB backlighting that shines fairly brightly through the keys.

The LCD screen is housed in a small plastic box, and measures 1.14 inches diagonally and sits about 1.18 inches (30mm) above the keyboard. This makes the total height of the keyboard just under 3 inches (76.2mm), for those of you who are thinking about clearance for storage. In its default state, the screen shows the time, date, battery life, and a few board-specific statuses (Win/Mac mode, connection type, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock). The screen can also be customized to display up to three personal pictures or GIFs, or it can be set to display your key input in real time.

The bottom of the keyboard has four small rubber strips to keep it from moving around your desk, as well as two sets of plastic flip-out feet to adjust the keyboard's angle. The default angle is 5 degrees, and the flip-out feet allow you to adjust it to 7.5 or 11 degrees. The keyboard's USB-C port is located along the top left; next to it, you'll find a power switch for switching between connection types, and a handy storage space for the board's 2.4GHz wireless dongle.

In the box, the RT82 comes with several accessories: the detachable mini LCD screen (packed separately), a 2-in-1 switch and keycap puller, a 6-foot (1.8m) white, braided detachable USB-C to USB-A cable, and 2.4GHz wireless dongle (stored in its storage space on the board), extra keycaps for Mac users, and a couple of extra switches.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the RT82

The RT82 comes with your choice of Epomaker's Creamy Jade or Sea Salt Silent switches. Our review unit came with the Sea Salt Silent switches, which are silent, pre-lubed linear switches with an actuation force of 45g. They're extremely quiet and smooth, with a soft, cushiony bottom-out — though I think I'd prefer if the actuation force were slightly lighter. Of course, the board has a hot-swappable PCB, so you can also swap in your own switches.

The keyboard comes with dye-sublimated PBT keycaps in a Cherry profile, which is lower-profile than the traditional OEM profile and features sculpted rows. The caps have a soft, slightly textured finish and lightly curved tops, with printed legends.

Typing on the RT82 is pleasant, if a little too soft and quiet for my liking. The low-profile keycaps mean your fingers aren't traveling quite as much, and while the keypresses are soft, they're not at all mushy. The board is gasket-mounted, with five layers of sound-dampening material (Sandwich Latex, an IXPE switch pad, a PET sound-enhancement pad, and bottom foam and silicone) for a sound profile that is definitely very... dampened. This is one of the quietest keyboards I've ever typed on, so if you're looking for something that won't annoy those around you, it's definitely worth a look.

Gaming on the RT82 is fine — while it's set up to allow gaming, it's definitely not a gaming keyboard first. It does feature N-Key rollover and a 1,000Hz polling rate (both wired and wireless), as well as bright, south-facing per-key RGB lighting, so it's got everything most people need in a gaming keyboard. But it doesn't come with things like dedicated media keys or gamer-ready software. The RT82 is programmable with VIA, which is an open-source mechanical keyboard customization software. It's great for remapping keys and recording macros, but it doesn't have the features you'll find in mainstream gaming peripheral software, such as per-game presets or an easy-to-enable game mode.

Features and Software of the RT82

To customize the RT82 with VIA, you'll need to have the keyboard's .json file (which you can download here). Then, all you do is plug the keyboard in, navigate to VIA, connect the board, and then load the .json file in the design tab. Then, you'll be able to remap keys, record and save macros, and customize the keyboard's RGB backlighting.

The LCD screen is customizable via a different web-based app, which is... clunky, but understandable, as VIA is a generic software. The only thing you can customize on the screen are the custom images/gifs you can add (up to three); the other two screen modes cannot be customized. To add your own images, you'll need to navigate to Epomaker's LCD Screen Driver Software and connect the keyboard. Once it's connected, you can upload three of your own images and edit them (color adjustment, text, drawing) in the software. Then you can save your images to the keyboard and cycle through the screen's three modes with the Fn + Enter shortcut.

The RT82 is a wireless keyboard with three modes of connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired(USB-C). It sports a 4,000 mAh battery that lasts up to 14 hours with the screen and RGB backlighting turned on, which isn't great but also isn't unexpected. With the RGB lighting turned on and the screen turned off, you can expect around 17 hours, and with the RGB turned off and the screen turned on, around 45 hours. You should get around 115 hours with both turned off, which is pretty solid.

The Bottom Line

The Epomaker RT82 will appeal to those who like its retro styling and soft, quiet keypresses. It’s a budget-friendly hot-swappable mechanical keyboard with a surprisingly pleasant typing experience that can also hold its own in most gaming situations. The screen is definitely a gimmick, but at least it's detachable — in theory, this means Epomaker could make alternate accessories (such as a knob or... something else) that you could swap in, if you didn't want the screen, but there are no such accessories as of this writing.

If you have been a member of the PC hardware world for even a short amount of time, you’ll know HyperX is one of the biggest names out there. The gaming subsidiary of HP is known for making some of the best microphones, headsets, mice, and gaming keyboards, and at a relatively affordable price point. HyperX's Origins line of gaming keyboards is a staple: The keyboards come in several sizes, are excellent for gaming, and often go on sale (so we're often recommending them). The brand debuted the next generation — the HyperX Origins 2 series — at CES 2026, starting with the Origins 2 65 and the Origins 2 1800 (full-size).

We're taking a look at the HyperX Origins 2 65, which is the next-gen update to the HyperX Alloy Origins 65. The Origins 2 65 is, like its predecessor, a 65-percent mechanical gaming keyboard, but it's packed with upgrades: Hot-swappable switch sockets, lightning-fast linear switches, up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate, and a unique o-ring mount design. It's available now, in black, for $119.99.

Specifications

Design

The HyperX Origins 2 65 is, as the name suggests, a 65-percent mechanical keyboard. The Origins 2 features an o-ring mount design (more on that later), per-key RGB, a frosted back polycarbonate case, a hot-swappable PCB with support for 5-pin switches, dampening foam in the case, and a polling rate of up to 8,000 Hz.

The switches — HyperX's Linear Reds — are mechanical and are practically the same as the classic Cherry MX Reds, but utilize a “box-style” construction like you’d see from Kailh. I’ve always been a fan of the box design, as it limits stem wobble and typically features a tighter housing. The switches are very smooth and are rated for 80 million keypresses. But, because this PCB is hot-swappable, you can use any mechanical switch you want — which is what I would personally do, since I’ve always found linear switches to be too light for everyday typing.

As mentioned above, this keyboard features an o-ring mount. What that means is that there's a rubber o-ring sandwiched between the PCB and switch plate — while this might sound obscure to non-mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, it is somewhat common if you dig deeper into the market. The last time I used a mechanical keyboard with an o-ring mount was when I looked at the CannonKeys Bakeneko65. The goal of this mounting style is to provide a more responsive — and less harsh — typing experience. Unfortunately, the Origins 2 65... didn’t give me this feeling. If I'd been blindfolded, I wouldn't have even guessed that the Origins 2 65 was an o-ring mounted mechanical keyboard, because it ultimately feels like any other well-dampened, mechanical, tray-mounted board.

In addition to its attempted ambitious mounting design, HyperX also offers customization in the Origins 2 65 with different-colored cases. You can't pick a color at the beginning (all Origins 2 65 keyboards ship with a translucent smoke gray polycarbonate case), but you can purchase different colors for around $19, which isn't too bad. You can currently choose from royal blue, light pink, and white cases on HyperX's website — all cases are translucent. The cases are easy to swap out, though you pop the keyboard in from the bottom, unlike the custom cases for Drop's CSTM series (which overlay from the top).

If you happen to have a 3D printer, you can also print your own case, as HyperX is kind enough to offer up the source files for free on its Printables page. (If you don't have a 3D printer, check out our list of the best 3D printers.)

Although I rarely use RGB on my keyboards, I kept it enabled while I was testing the Origins 2 65 — because it just looked that good. It's bright and vibrant; there's a setting called confetti — and even though it's just a slow, flickering preset, it looks great combined with the keyboard's shine-through switches and polycarbonate switch plate and keycaps. It made me feel a bit nostalgic for my original Glorious GMMK that I bought about seven years ago, which had a similar lighting effect. You won't have the same nostalgia trip as I did, but you'll find something you like in the lighting options. The Origins 2 65 features the following lighting presets: alternating, solid, swipe, breathing, calming waves, twinkle, confetti (my favorite), sunrise, and surging waves. The lighting is per-key, so you can also adjust each key's lighting individually. The RGB looks very good on this keyboard — it's bright and pretty, and this is accentuated by the shine-through keycaps and switches. However, you can't shuffle between RGB modes on the keyboard itself — you need to do it manually in the Ngenuity software, which is inconvenient (and a bit inexcusable in 2026).

The rest of the HyperX Origins 2’s design is pretty straightforward. On the back it has one set of flip-up feet along with four rubber feet to keep it from slipping around your desk. The USB-C port is located along the top left of the board, and the cable is removable.

Typing and Gaming Experience on the HyperX Origins 2 65

The HyperX Origins 2 65 is attempting to bridge the gap between "best gaming keyboard" and "best typing keyboard," and it doesn't quite succeed — it's much better for gaming than it is for typing. The keyboard comes with a HyperX Linear Reds, which have an actuation force of 40g and a short 1.8mm travel actuation. The keyboard features a hot-swappable PCB and a polling rate of up to 8,000 Hz — and with its compact size, it's perfect for fast-paced gaming.

I’m in the midst of my New Game Plus (NG+) run on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 because it’s easily the best game I have played in recent memory and I want to 100% it with a keyboard this time around, as I used an Xbox controller in my original playthrough.

Because Expedition 33 utilizes a parry and dodge system, you need to be quick, and because of that, I needed a fast keyboard. While I don’t really believe in polling rate, I do believe that lighter switches play a huge role in succeeding in any fast-paced game.

Performance-wise, the HyperX Origins 2 65 did a great job keeping my expedition alive and my in-game deaths were limited to lack of skill — not a shoddy keyboard. I don't know if it's the compact size, the snappy response, the light actuation and short travel, or all of the above, but I loved gaming with the Origins 2 65.

While I thoroughly enjoyed gaming with the HyperX Origins 2 65, I was a bit disappointed by the o-ring mount design. I’m not sure if it’s because CannonKeys made a splash with the Bakeneko by providing an exquisite, bouncy typing experience, but the Origins 2 felt like a tray mount with good noise dampening. In addition, the switches are loud. While I didn't expect a mechanical keyboard enthusiast-tier typing experience, it does feel like HyperX had a lot of potential with the o-ring mounting system and the POM switches... but that just kind of fell flat.

All in all, the gaming experience with the HyperX Origins 2 65 is superb, but the typing experience was subpar at best.

Software

The HyperX Origins 2 65 is supported by the company’s NGENUITY software and I found it to be simple to use and not bloated like some other mechanical keyboard software. NGENUITY actually reminds me a lot of “VIA” which is the open-source key mapping software used by most enthusiast-level mechanical keyboards.

NGENUITY allows you to change lighting effects, re-map keys and record macros. That’s it — and this is good, because I don’t like when keyboard software is bloated with unnecessary features nobody will ever use.

That said, it was cute to see an animated hedgehog appear when I selected the confetti lighting preset.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Origins 2 65 is an interesting mechanical keyboard — it's definitely a gaming keyboard, first and foremost, but its o-ring design suggests the brand is also trying to appeal to keyboard enthusiasts. Unfortunately, that effort falls a little flat — if you're looking for a compact gaming keyboard that will also give you an enthusiast-level typing experience, we suggest the magnetic Arbiter Studio Polar 65 (or you can just go straight to enthusiast with something like the Mode SixtyFive custom keyboard).

I do hope HyperX will go back to the drawing board and refine its o-ring design, because the components are there — it just needs to be implemented better. But despite the ho-hum typing experience and the lack of ability to change the keyboard's RGB presets on the fly, I did enjoy gaming on the HyperX Origins 2 65. It's a compact, customizable board with easy-to-use software, light linear switches, and a snappy 8,000 Hz polling rate. If you're looking for a compact gaming keyboard you can easily personalize, the Origins 2 65 is a solid option.

It's nice to see mainstream gaming companies paying attention to the enthusiast side of peripherals — and some of the best gaming keyboards now are a mix of both — but why are they all so expensive? Corsair followed in Glorious' footsteps last year with the launch of its custom builder and the Makr 75, which started at $140 for a barebones kit and ended up closer to $250 - $300 for a full board, and those weren't even magnetic switches.

Well, now it has magnetic switches (and it comes pre-built).

The Makr Pro 75 is a pre-built wired gaming keyboard with Hall Effect magnetic switches and a premium build. It's the magnetic switch version of Corsair's Makr 75, but while the Makr 75 is a DIY kit, the Makr Pro 75 only comes prebuilt. (It's still upgradable via the Makr 75's modules, however.)

It comes with Corsair's MGX Hyperdrive linear magnetic switches and double-shot PBT keycaps in white, black, and yellow, and it gets up to an 8,000 Hz wired polling rate (which seems to be the hot feature this year). It also features a hot-swappable PCB and a full aluminum case with eight layers of sound dampening. It's a pretty impressive keyboard from a mainstream gaming company, but it's also pretty expensive — $249.99, in one colorway, available now.

Design and Construction of the Makr Pro 75

The Makr Pro 75 is a magnetic wired keyboard with a 75-percent layout. It has alphanumeric keys, a full function row, arrow keys, and a line of navigation keys (Home, PgUp, PgDn, and End) as well as a programmable rotary knob. It features a full aluminum body, a gasket-mounted hot-swappable PCB, and double-shot PBT keycaps, and is designed to be largely customizable.

The Makr Pro 75's aluminum case is fitted together with hex screws. The top plate has a medium-sized bezel with a mild slope, and is finished in a smooth, slightly glittery black. Corsair's text logo is located on a nameplate at the top center, and the brand's ship logo is printed in light silver at the bottom left. The keyboard has a standard 75-percent layout with a programmable rotary knob in the top right corner — which can be swapped out for an LCD module (sold separately). The shine-through, double-shot PBT keycaps come in a nice, clean colorway of white and black with yellow accents.

The keyboard measures approximately 13 inches (330.2 mm) wide by 5.59 inches (142 mm) deep, and is 1.85 inches (47 mm) thick at its thickest point (including the keycaps). This makes it slightly larger than the Asus Azoth X (12.81 x 5.36 x 1.57 inches / 325.42 x 136.16 x 40.5 mm), but it's still a pretty compact keyboard overall. It's also decently hefty, weighing in at 2.83 pounds (1.282 kg).

The back of the board features a geometric design with a round logo plate in the center. It has two removable magnetic "feet" for angling the keyboard toward you as you type, which is a nice touch — most fully aluminum keyboards don't come with any way to adjust the typing angle, as the regular plastic flip-up feet are usually too flimsy. While I would argue that you also don't need to adjust the typing angle on most keyboards, it's still nice to have the option. You'll also find a PC/Mac switch in the upper left corner, which is something we don't really see on keyboards from mainstream gaming companies. It doesn't include any Mac keys, but has Mac legends printed on the sides of the keycaps.

In the box, the Makr Pro 75 comes with several accessories: a 6-foot (1.8m) detachable, braided USB-C to USB-A cable, a dual keycap/switch puller, a screwdriver, a hex key, and extra gaskets and screws.

Specs

Typing & Gaming Experience on the Makr Pro 75

The Makr Pro 75 comes with Corsair's MGX Hyperdrive magnetic switches, which are linear, pre-lubed magnetic switches with an actuation force of 30 - 55 grams and an adjustable actuation point of between 0.1 - 4.0 mm (adjusted in 0.1 mm increments). Like other magnetic switches, they support all the fun gamer-oriented features: dual actuation, Rapid Trigger, and FlashTap (SOCD). They're rated for up to 150 million keystrokes.

Typing on the Makr Pro 75 is a pleasant experience; The switches are smooth and stable, and the keyboard sounds decent out of the box. The board comes with eight layers of sound-dampening in the case and has a rigid FR4 switch plate (for better switch stability, according to Corsair), which gives the keyboard a bright, crisp typing sound. It's not necessarily my favorite, and I prefer something deeper (and louder), but it does sound better than most gaming keyboards.

In terms of comfort, the Makr Pro 75 is OK, but I expected a little better. I think it's the combination of the keycaps (double-shot PBT in an OEM profile — higher profile, sculpted rows) and the switch plate that bothered me. The typing experience on this keyboard is pretty stiff, despite the gasket mount structure. The lack of flex combined with the higher-profile keycaps just felt a little taxing for me (but, of course, I type more than most).

Gaming on the Makr Pro 75 is similar to gaming on any other 75-percent Hall Effect magnetic switch gaming keyboard — you get all the gamer-oriented features such as Rapid Trigger and FlashTap (I'm still not sure if anyone actually uses dual actuation in gaming or anywhere), along with a lightning-fast latency-free 8,000 Hz polling rate, if that's what you're looking for. (And the 75-percent layout leaves you plenty of room to go crazy with your mouse.) I don't love that there doesn't seem to be a way to easily enable a game mode on the keyboard, however — you can lock the Windows key in the device settings in the Web Hub, but that's not exactly a convenient way to do things.

Features and Software of the Makr Pro 75

The Makr Pro 75 is configurable via Corsair's new web-based Web App (it also seems to be at least cursorily recognized by iCUE, but that's it). You can use the Web App to customize the keyboard's RGB lighting and configure its magnetic switch features, including setting actuation point and dual inputs for individual switches, turning on Rapid Trigger, and configuring FlashTap.

You can also remap keys and record macros, configure the rotary knob, and change a handful of device settings, including polling rate. The Makr Pro 75 gets up to an 8,000 Hz wired polling rate (but it ships with a 1,000 Hz polling rate). The Web App also has a section for switch testing and calibration — you'll need to calibrate if you decide to swap out your switches, and it handily lists some of the compatible switches (like most Hall Effect keyboards, the Makr Pro 75 can only accept other magnetic switches).

The Makr Pro 75 is part of Corsair's DIY series; while this keyboard comes prebuilt, it's designed to be upgradeable via Corsair's modules. There are only two upgrade modules — an LCD module that you can swap in for the rotary knob, which has a 1.3-inch color screen that can show system stats (or Corsair logos, I don't know), and a wireless module that adds 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity.

Of course, while it's nice that there are options to upgrade this keyboard, they're not exactly cost-efficient. The LCD module costs $49.99 and the wireless module costs $79.99, so a wireless, LCD Makr Pro 75 will set you back $380.

The Bottom Line

Corsair's Makr Pro 75 is a well-built magnetic keyboard that looks and feels like a premium, custom board. It offers a nice typing experience — very bright and crisp, if too rigid for me — and its magnetic switches and 8,000 Hz polling rate will appeal to the gamers looking for every advantage. But it doesn't really have gaming features beyond that (it doesn't even have a conveniently-accessible game mode at the moment), and if we look at it as an enthusiast board with magnetic switches, it's just kind of mediocre. Lemokey's L5 HE 8K has magnetic switches and an 8,000 Hz polling rate, and offers a better, more comfortable typing experience — and it's $50 less ($199). The Magger 68 has a smaller layout, but it's a magnetic switch 8,000 Hz polling rate keyboard, and it's on sale for less than $70. The Makr Pro 75 is a solid board, but you can probably do better.

If you weren't sold on the idea of a virtual Stream Deck built into Corsair's Scimitar Elite SE Wireless mouse, what about a physical Stream Deck built into Corsair's latest keyboard? Corsair's new Galleon 100 SD keyboard is a premium mechanical wired keyboard with a built-in Stream Deck. Instead of a numberpad, you get two programmable dials, a (non-touch) screen, and 12 customizable LCD keys. It's not a bad idea — Stream Decks are like macropads on steroids, and what dedicated macro user doesn't want hyper-customizable macro keys built into their keyboard?

Of course, this functionality doesn't come cheap. The Corsair Galleon 100 SD will set you back $350 (that's more than the Asus ROG Azoth X), which isn't too surprising considering Stream Decks cost anywhere from $60 - $250 (not counting the studio version). But the best gaming keyboards start at just over $100, so the Galleon 100 SD needs to be both an excellent gaming keyboard and an excellent Stream Deck to be worth that price tag.

Design and Construction of the Galleon 100 SD

The Galleon 100 SD is a mechanical gaming keyboard with what is technically a TKL layout — alphanumeric keys, function keys, arrow keys, and a full 3 x 3 navigation cluster, and no 10-key numberpad. However, it does have a built-in Stream Deck where the numberpad would normally go. And the Stream Deck does have 12 keys, a screen, and two programmable knobs, and can technically function as a numberpad. So it's... sort of a full-size keyboard? Corsair is calling it full-size, but since I need both my numberpad and my Stream Deck for some things, I beg to differ.

The Galleon 100 SD is a pretty good-looking keyboard, all things considered. It's definitely a gaming keyboard — it's got bright, per-key RGB lighting (that comes with an obnoxiously flashy default setting... and I love flashy RGB, so that's saying something) and a Corsair-branded lightstrip across the top, plus the built-in Stream Deck; it definitely looks like a gaming keyboard, but a premium one. It features an aluminum top case over a plastic bottom case, and the aluminum is finished in a smooth, sparkly matte black with beveled edges and the keyboard's name printed in tastefully small letters along the bottom of the left edge.

The right side of the board is where you'll find the built-in Stream Deck, which consists of two programmable knobs, a 2.5 x 1.25 inch (63.5 x 31.75mm) color screen, and 12 LCD keys arranged in a 3 x 4 grid. I know Corsair says that this keyboard has a 5-inch (127 mm) diagonal screen, and it technically does — the LCD keys are laid over the screen (that's why they're LCD keys). However, the part that functions as a screen only measures approximately 2.75 inches (70 mm) diagonally.

If you have a Stream Deck, this will look somewhat familiar depending on what model you have. The knobs are notched, clickable, and feel great — machined metal with texturing on the sides. They control the screen, which is separated into four parts for different "widgets"; each knob controls the two widgets below it, which you can switch between by pressing the knob for a few seconds. The right knob controls volume by default, while the left knob cycles through your Stream Deck modes (or "pages" of LCD keys).

The LCD keys are similar to those on other Stream Decks — they're the same size as those on the Stream Deck Neo, and they feel about the same. That is to say, they're fine for Stream Deck functionality, but they're a little mushy compared to regular keys. (This is an important distinction, as Corsair is trying to pass this off as a numberpad replacement.)

Along the top of the keyboard, you'll find three USB-C ports. The two ports in the middle are for charging and supplying power to the third, which is a pass-through port. The bottom of the keyboard features four large non-skid rubber feet, as well as two sets of flip-out feet if you want more of an angle while you type. You shouldn't have to worry too much about this keyboard moving around your desk as you type, because it's pretty hefty: It weighs 3.07 pounds (1.392kg), which is heavier than most mainstream gaming keyboards (though nowhere close to some enthusiast boards with full aluminum bodies).

This keyboard is big, but it's not nearly as big as the name Galleon suggests. It measures 17.64 inches (448mm) wide by 6.26 inches (159mm) deep and is 1.65 inches (42mm) thick at its thickest point if you include the knobs. However, the board itself is closer to 0.86 inches (21.8mm) thick at its thickest point without the keycaps. The front of the board is around 0.7 inches (17.8mm) thick, so it's not too high, ergonomically speaking. That said, the Galleon 100 SD does come with its own detachable magnetic wrist rest, which is 17.64 inches (448mm) wide by 3.5 inches (89mm) deep, and 0.83 inches (21mm) thick at its thickest point.

The wrist rest is made of plastic, with soft, leatherette-covered memory foam padding and Corsair's text logo printed vertically down the center. It's not the fanciest wrist rest I've seen — the leatherette seems a little thin, and I suspect it won't last more than a year or so with regular use — but it's sleek and comfortable and it fits the keyboard.

As for other accessories, the Galleon 100 SD comes with just a couple in the box: two 6-foot (1.8m) braided USB-C to USB-A cables and a combination keycap/switch puller.

Spec

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Galleon 100 SD

The Galleon 100 SD is, first and foremost, a keyboard — and it's actually a surprisingly nice one. The board only comes with one switch option: Corsair's MLX Pulse (purple) switches, which are designed to be "thocky and linear." They're pre-lubed, with an actuation force of 45g; they actuate at 2.0mm and have a total travel of 3.6mm. They're nice-feeling linear switches, with smooth, straight keypresses that have no audible or tactile bump, and they do have more of a "thocky" sound when you bottom out than do most linear switches. I'm not the biggest fan of linear switches in general, but I liked typing on these.

The Galleon 100 SD does feature a hot-swappable PCB that accepts both 3- and 5-pin switches, so you can always swap in your own switches if you want to. Of course, while hot-swappability is always a great option to have, I'm not desperate to drop $350 on a keyboard only to have to also swap out the switches — hopefully we'll see Corsair offering the Galleon 100 SD with more than one switch option in the future.

The keyboard comes with double-shot PBT keycaps with shine-through legends. The keycaps feel fine: They have that slightly-textured, matte PBT finish, and seem to be in something close to a Cherry profile (lower profile, sculpted rows). The board features six layers of sound-dampening foam in the case to reduce echoes and case ping, and it's pretty effective. I heard almost no case ping in my testing, and while it's not the best keyboard I've ever listened to, it's pretty impressive for a mainstream gaming keyboard. It's on par with Asus' original ROG Azoth (but, of course, it also costs $100 more... so it should be).

Naturally, the Galleon 100 SD is also great for gaming. The standard TKL layout is all you need for most games these days, and the lower-profile keycaps make it easy to fly across the board. The keyboard also gets up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate (though it ships with a default 1,000 Hz), which you can enable via the Corsair Web Hub, assuming you can get it to work (more on this in a moment). It is a mechanical keyboard — not a magnetic switch keyboard, so it doesn't support RapidTrigger, but you can set up FlashTap (Corsair's version of SOCD).

Features and Software of the Galleon 100 SD

Corsair has recently been abandoning its universal peripheral software iCUE in favor of its new Corsair Web Hub, which is — you guessed it — a web-based app for configuring your peripherals. You can also install the Web Hub on your PC, so you're not dependent on an internet connection just to change your keyboard or mouse settings. I love this idea in theory, but in practice... the Web Hub worked for me about 40% of the time, and that's if I'm being generous.

I managed to get it to connect maybe three of the forty times I tried, and this includes both the online version and the "installed" version. At first, it was a firmware update issue — the Web Hub wouldn't recognize the keyboard until the firmware was updated, but of course, the firmware update was something I needed to install via the Web Hub. It did eventually manage to connect and install the firmware update, but then it refused to connect for no reason after that. Luckily, there wasn't much I wanted to do in the Web Hub, except change the crazy disco of a default RGB setting (which I did quickly, one of the three times it managed to connect). But I suppose if you can get it to connect, you can also reassign keys, set up FlashTap, and change some settings (such as the polling rate).

But Corsair Web Hub is just for the keyboard side. The Stream Deck side is controlled by Elgato's Stream Deck software. (While it's a little inconvenient to have to use two programs to set up one device, I suppose it would be more inconvenient if I had to try to use the Web Hub to set up the Stream Deck side, because then nothing would work.) Elgato's Stream Deck software is much smoother and actually works, and the Stream Deck ecosystem is very robust — which is what you need for something like a Stream Deck. The Elgato Marketplace has all sorts of third-party plugins that will let you control various devices and settings with your Stream Deck, provided you take the time to set it up.

Of course, you don't have to set everything up right away: The Galleon 100 SD comes with a pre-installed profile with several pages of presets for gaming, media, and chatting, so it's pretty useful right out of the box.

The Bottom Line

I like the Galleon 100 SD, because I like Stream Decks (now that I've gotten to know them, anyway), and I'm always a fan of more buttons. But I do miss my numberpad — I use both my numberpad and my (separate) Stream Deck for various things, but even if you're not someone who needs a ton of extra keys, tapping out numbers on LCD keys is absolutely not the same.

But full-size keyboard woes aside, the Galleon 100 SD is a surprisingly solid keyboard. If you're in the market for both a premium gaming keyboard and a Stream Deck of some sort, this is... an option. It's not really a great deal, but $350 is probably around what you'd pay if you bought both separately. (You can grab the Stream Deck+, which has eight LCD keys, four dials, and a touch screen, for around $160 right now.)

Razer just joined the list of peripheral manufacturers that offer browser-based customization of their devices with the beta release of the Razer Synapse Web utility. The company says that its lightweight web app will work directly on Chromium-based browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera, allowing users to customize their Razer Huntsman V3 keyboards online.

This new web app will not replace the traditional Synapse 4 utility and its full menu of customization options. Instead, Razer envisions it as a complement to that app to let Razer customers who only need a quick settings change or are using a locked-down system to tweak their keyboards.

“As the newest layer of Razer’s Synapse ecosystem, Synapse Web brings pro-level control into a modern, web‑native format,” Razer said in its press release. “The Razer Huntsman V3 line of keyboards is the first device line supported at launch, with more to follow as the platform expands. Compatible devices include: Razer Huntsman V3 Pro 8KHz, Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL 8KHz, [and the] Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini.”

The company said that the web app was developed with input from its own Team Razer athletes and other esports players that rely on custom tuning to stay at the top of their game. A web-based tool ensures that the most important settings are easily and quickly accessible from a browser, which could be handy in tournament or practice situations where installing apps isn't possible.

Synapse Web also allows users to “view, edit, and save profiles directly to device memory for consistent settings everywhere," which means that not only can one modify their personal Razer hardware to taste, but also that potentially any Razer peripheral could be customized anywhere a browser is available, even if someone's personal device has to remain at home.

Nevertheless, you’d still need to install the Synapse 4 app if you want more advanced customization, like game-specific profiles, using macros, or changing performance settings, and integrating the RGB Chroma effects on multiple Razer products. We’re unsure if Synapse Web will fix the several issues noted in Tom’s Hardware’s worst-to-worst ranking of gaming peripheral apps, but this might even be a welcome move for gamers who have grown tired of Synapse 4’s shenanigans on their PCs.

There's a huge deal on a brand-new gaming keyboard that you'll want to sink your teeth into before we enter the new year. The Razer BlackWidow V4 Low Profile TKL gaming keyboard is on sale at Amazon-owned Woot, with three different switch options to choose from, all for less than $140.

• Check out this deal on Woot

We don't have historical price data for products sold on Woot, but we can compare it to the pricing from its mega-sized sibling. The $139.99 sale price for this Razer BlackWidow V4 gaming keyboard puts it at least $11 cheaper than the lowest-ever price on Amazon, and over $25 cheaper than its current pricing for at least two of the switch models.

There are two things to immediately note about this wireless keyboard, at least compared to previous BlackWidow models that we've tested, including in our Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro review — this is a low profile, TKL model. That means it lacks the numpad on the side (TKL meaning ten keys less), and it's ultra-slim, with a low 18.5mm height from top to bottom. In many respect, it acts as an upgrade over older slim profile keyboards like the Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro which we reviewed back in 2022.

The BlackWidow V4 features a slightly redesigned chassis compared to other models in the series, including the V4 Pro, although the most obvious change is its low-profile nature. Razer's orange, yellow, and green switch options are available here — orange for tactile, yellow for linear, and green for clicky.

Green clicky switches are perfect if you like the sound and response of an old-school mechanical keyboard, while orange tactile switches are a little more subtle. Yellow linear switches are the quietest, and offer a smoother, faster keystroke if that's important to you. This is a low-profile board, however, so all three models will have shorter actuation points and total travel distances than the standard BlackWidow models.

Your preference, your choice, as all three options are on sale for that record-low price tag. Alongside the low-profile switches and keycaps is a wireless board with both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz Hyperspeed wireless connectivity. You'll see the best performance using the low-latency Hyperspeed mode, but Bluetooth will offer the best battery life, with Razer claiming the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro Low Profile TKL can last up to 980 hours (or 40 days) in its special power-saving mode. You can also use this board in wired mode using the supplied USB cable.

Like other Razer gaming keyboards, this model comes with some of the usual bells and whistles. RGB backlighting is visible across all of the keys, and you can customize how the lighting works using Razer's Synapse software. That's also where you can customize your board keys, including the clickable roller in the top-right, along with the three multi-function keys below it. Think macros, shortcuts, and quick commands, all of which you can configure using Synapse.

A low-profile, TKL keyboard like this Razer model is the ideal option for a gamer who wants to reduce the strain on their wrists and hands and doesn't have a lot of space on their desk. The $139.99 sale price is hard to beat for this premium board, so if you're looking for a bargain upgrade to your peripherals, jump on this Woot offer from Amazon before the stock runs out.

If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, Gaming Chair, Best Wi-Fi Routers, Best Motherboard, or CPU Deals pages.

It probably seems like every new gaming keyboard on our list of best gaming keyboards these days has magnetic Hall Effect switches — because, for the most part, they do. But not Turtle Beach's latest addition to its Vulcan II series. The Vulcan II TKL is just a regular old mechanical keyboard that does exactly what you'd expect from the cheaper version of the brand's TKL layout (the Vulcan II TKL Pro does have magnetic HE switches, by the way).

The Vulcan II TKL is a wired mechanical gaming keyboard with a hot-swappable PCB, bright customizable RGB lighting, and smooth, lightweight linear mechanical switches. It looks just like the other keyboards in Turtle Beach's Vulcan II lineup — that is, very pretty if you like lots of light spillage on your keyboard (I do), and the included Titan HS switches are speedy, accurate, and quiet, which some people will love (I didn't). The Vulcan II TKL is available now for $120.

Design and Construction of the Vulcan II TKL

The Vulcan II TKL is a wired keyboard with a TKL (tenkeyless) layout, which means it doesn't have a 10-key numberpad but has everything else — function keys, arrow keys, and navigation keys.

The keyboard is housed in a slim plastic chassis with a brushed aluminum top plate. It comes in only one colorway (black), and is fairly compact, measuring 14.42 inches (366.16mm) wide by 5.41 inches (137.22mm) deep, and is 1.27 inches (32.15mm) thick, including the keycaps (the chassis is much slimmer at 0.65" / 16.6mm at its thickest point). While it's not a particularly hefty keyboard — it weighs 1.29 pounds (584g) — it features a nice, premium-feeling build: the plastic chassis has a beveled edge that sits flush with the aluminum top plate, and everything feels very solid. In the upper-right corner, there's a slim plastic volume knob (clickable), the only "extra" key on the board.

The Vulcan II TKL has T-shaped ABS keycaps with shine-through legends. T-shaped refers to the shape of the keycap viewed from the side — these keycaps are thin, about 0.16 inches (4mm) thick, leaving most of the switch exposed. This allows the keyboard's bright, customizable RGB lighting to shine even brighter, and is kind of Turtle Beach's (or, well, Roccat's) signature aesthetic for the Vulcan line. (In fact, the Vulcan II TKL features basically the exact same aesthetic as the other keyboards in this line, e.g.,

\ the Vulcan II Mini, the Vulcan II, the Vulcan II Max.) The keycaps have smooth, lightly curved tops and a profile similar to an OEM profile — fairly tall, with straight (not sculpted) rows. Luckily, the Vulcan II TKL is compatible with most third-party keycaps (not all keyboards in this lineup are), so you can swap these out whenever you want.

The Vulcan II TKL is a wired keyboard, but it features a detachable USB-C cable, with its port located along the top, on the left side. On the back of the keyboard, you'll find two sets of plastic flip-out feet, as well as four moderately-sized pieces of non-slip rubber pads to keep the keyboard in place during intense gaming sessions. I didn't have any issues with the keyboard slipping around my desk while I was typing or gaming, but I'm not a particularly emotional gamer.

The Vulcan II TKL comes with a handful of accessories in the box: a 6-foot (1.8m) detachable braided USB-C to USB-A cable, a combination keycap and switch puller, and three extra switches.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Vulcan II TKL

The Vulcan II TKL features Turtle Beach's in-house Titan HS (linear) switches, rated for up to 50 million keystrokes, with a 45g actuation force and a 1.8mm actuation distance. Unlike (what seems like) most gaming keyboards on the market right now, these are not Hall Effect switches — they're regular old linear mechanical switches. The keyboard does have a hot-swappable PCB that accepts both 3- and 5-pin mechanical switches, so you have plenty of switch options if you don't like the switches it comes with.

Typing on the Vulcan II TKL is... an interesting experience. Keypresses are lightweight and smooth, with a soft, mushy sound. They don't feel particularly mushy — and I didn't have any issues with accidentally pressing keys while I was typing or gaming, so my general accuracy wasn't affected — but they sound mushy. This seems to be almost entirely the switches — the case isn't very thick, but it does a decent job of absorbing sound, and there's very little case ping.

Perhaps switching out the keycaps would improve the typing experience — I found the Vulcan II TKL's keycaps to be a little too high-profile, especially on such a thin, low-profile chassis. But that's just personal preference, and the keycaps are easy to swap out — though most other keycaps will mean losing all that showy RGB lighting. This board does have a north-facing PCB, so full-sized keycaps will likely reduce the lighting by a lot.

Gaming on the Vulcan II TKL is solid, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend this keyboard for competition. The switches are smooth, and my keypresses were accurate, even if they didn't sound as perfectly crisp as I wanted them to; I didn't have any issues with switching between keys quickly or moving my hand around the board to find different keys. While the switches aren't magnetic and therefore do not support features such as Rapid Trigger, actuation adjustment, or Snap Tap, they actuate quickly (1.8mm), and Turtle Beach has its own software solution to Snap Tap that you can set up with the Swarm II software.

Features and Software of the Vulcan II TKL

The Vulcan II TKL is customizable via Turtle Beach Swarm II, which is the universal peripheral software Turtle Beach inherited when it fully absorbed Roccat. You can use the Swarm II software to remap keys, customize the keyboard's RGB lighting, update firmware, and set up "ReacTap," which is Turtle Beach's answer to Snap Tap / SOCD. It's a software solution that lets you bind two inputs to one key, allowing you to then activate a second key by pressing it without fully releasing the first (like Snap Tap, ReacTap prioritizes the last-pressed input. Also like Snap Tap and other variations of this feature, it might be considered cheating in certain games.

I've never been a big fan of the Swarm II software, but I didn't have any issues with it this time around. There are only two screens for the Vulcan II TKL (remapping and lighting), and remapping is fairly straightforward — the keyboard is equipped with multiple layers you can remap, including a Function layer and an "Easy Shift" layer. Easy Shift is activated by holding down Caps Lock (can be reassigned) and is just another full keyboard layer. You can also turn on ReacTap on the remapping screen — you can set it up yourself with custom keys, but Swarm II also gives you the option of quickly assigning it to A & D (for strafing). The volume knob is unfortunately not remappable.

The lighting options for the Vulcan II TKL are, as always, very pretty — I'm a big fan of the company's default AIMO lighting scheme, which is bright, colorful, and not as mundane as typical spectrum cycle defaults, but there are also a handful of other presets you can choose from, as well as an editor for fully customizing every key.

The Bottom Line

The Vulcan II TKL is a nicely-built compact TKL keyboard featuring the Vulcan II's signature aesthetic — slim chassis, brushed aluminum top plate, T-shaped keycaps, and bright, glowy RGB lighting. It's fully mechanical, equipped with soft, lightweight linear switches (that will at least make your coworkers and roommates happy) and a decently sound-dampened case. It's not a particularly exciting keyboard — it looks just like the other Vulcan II keyboards, but it looks great if you like the look.

It is $120, though — not particularly expensive in general, but a little pricey for a wired keyboard that doesn't have too many extra features. You could spend a little more and pick up something like the Logitech G515, which is lower-profile and wireless (but not as pretty, in my opinion), or you could pick up a magnetic keyboard like Arbiter Studio's Polar 75 Pro, which retails for $165 but is currently on sale for $110.

Mechanical keyboards have become more popular than ever, thanks to TikTok for typing ASMR videos and the support for said peripherals on gaming consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation 5. That said, there are so many boards featuring different switches, case materials — heck, even cables. But right now, one of the hottest commodities in the best gaming keyboards is the magnetic switch. Companies have been battling for the best Hall Effect keyboard on the market since magnetic switches have become more popular.

Today, we have the new Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 - a 96-percent mechanical keyboard with Hall Effect switches and, most notably, an LCD screen. This isn’t the first time Corsair has used magnetic switches — a couple of years ago, I reviewed their K70 Max RGB and was pleased, overall. However, it's been a couple of years, so it's time to see if this new board is worth a look.

Specs

Design of the Vanguard Pro 96

The Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 is one of Corsair’s many mechanical keyboards, sporting their MGX Hyperdrive Linear switches, Axon hyper-processing technology and a new LCD screen in a 96-percent form factor. The Vanguard is only available in black and has a price tag of $230.

The first thing I noticed on the new Vanguard Pro 96 was its LCD screen. The screen is vibrant and configurable, but it wasn't what I expected when I opened the box. Because we’ve grown accustomed to seeing screens on everything from power supplies to all-in-one liquid coolers, I was surprised to see this screen wasn’t as customizable as I thought it would be. According to Corsair, you can use the screen to display custom animations, images, system specs, and more. However, I could only get photos to display. I did not see an option to display my system specs or custom animations in Corsair's Web Hub.

While the support for gifs is neat, you need to make sure they’re below 500 KB; if they're larger, you'll see a frustrating notice.

I tried about five or so different gifs and could not find one under that size, so I ended up sticking with photos (and I was able to upload a couple of different ones). Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed by the screen. That said, I did receive my review model before release, so Corsair might still be working on improving Web Hub’s compatibility with the Vanguard Pro 96.

The Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 also has a new feature that allows you to control your Elgato Stream Deck with the keyboard. Next to the FN key on the Vanguard Pro 96, there's a key that resembles the Elgato logo. If you press that key, you can then toggle between different Elgato Stream Deck functions, such as mute, record, etc. Don’t worry — if you’re like me, and do not own a Steam Deck, accidentally pressing the key will not change anything. You can also disable it or remap it.

The build quality of the Vanguard Pro 96 is pretty solid. While it is almost entirely plastic, it seems pretty robust, and like it can handle the occasional drop or fist slam during bits of rage in-game. The board sounds good too — inside, you’ll find multiple layers of sound-damping foam to eliminate case and spring ping.

While the Vanguard Pro 96 has a couple of new features, you’re still getting Corsair's AXON technology, which provides you with a polling rate of 8,000 Hz, 20 layers of on-board lighting effects that can be configured, and a keystroke range from 0.1mm to 4mm — which is on par with other high-end magnetic gaming keyboards.

The keycaps are made of double-shot PBT plastic, which is thick and durable and also allows the RGB lighting to shine through. On the left side of the Vanguard Pro 96 are five dedicated macro keys — something I haven’t seen in years. As mechanical keyboards have become more feature-packed, companies have moved away from dedicated macro keys — so I love this. Beside the five macro keys is a gaming mode key, which turns the polling rate down to 1,000 Hz, turns WinLock on, and switches the backlighting to red. This isn’t a new feature, but it's worth pointing out, for any competitive gamers out there.

When I reviewed the Corsair K70 Core RGB, I was surprised by how smooth the switches were out of the box — and I can confirm the MGX Hyperdrive linear switches in the Vanguard Pro 96 are even better than their non-magnetic counterparts. But I'll go into more detail on the switches later in the review.

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Vanguard Pro 96

The Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 arrived in the midst of my Battlefield 4 reboot. Thanks to Microsoft locking me out of my old Xbox account, I'd lost all of my progression, so I had to start at level one on Battlefield 4. The keyboard worked very well for gaming. I didn’t experience any latency issues and I even adjusted the actuation points on keys 1-5 to 1mm so I could swap weapons/gear with less force.

The Vanguard Pro 96 is also a convenient keyboard for everyday use, as it includes a 10-key numberpad. I am a massive advocate for numberpads; I have been using the same Filco Majestouch numberpad for over three years, and I can’t work without it. I will say that since the Vanguard Pro 96 is a 96-percent board, and not a full-size board, it took me a little while to get comfortable with the numberpad as it's a smaller keyboard overall..

The keyboard comes with Corsair’s MGX Hyperdrive linear switches, and I love them. While I was really impressed by Corsair Reds in the K70 Core RGB, you do lose out on the Hall Effect / magnetic switch capabilities with those. Also, the bottom-out isn’t as harsh on the magnetic switches, and the switches are quieter overall. One of the things I dislike about Hall-effect switches is their sound. Because the switches have magnets in them, they can be pretty loud, but the MGX switches sound like any other Cherry clone — which was great and very tolerable.

Keep in mind, I’m only scratching the surface when it comes to this keyboard’s capabilities. The AXON technology, dedicated macro keys, and rotary knob are absolutely worth experimenting with if you are a true gamer or want to set macros to make your day-to-day processes simpler. Like all gaming keyboards, the Vanguard Pro 96's strength is in its customizability.

Software of the Vanguard Pro 96

Unlike the K70 Core RGB, the Vanguard Pro 96 is powered by Corsair’s online Web Hub.

As the name suggests, Web Hub is an online-only software — and I’m not a fan of the idea. I had no issues with iCUE, and I genuinely do not understand why Corsair thought it would be a good idea to make an online-only configuration software for a keyboard as customizable as this one. What if you’re traveling and want to fine-tune the actuation on your WASD keys and don’t have access to WiFi? It seems like an inconvenience to require an internet connection to adjust the keyboard's settings.

Fortunately, Web Hub works fine. I didn’t have any issues with it, but if you buy this keyboard, be sure to update the USB Wired Polling Rate to 8,000 Hz in the device settings because the board will arrive with its polling rate set at 1,000 Hz.

Bottom Line

I really like the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 overall. While I’m kind of annoyed by the online-only configuration tool, the keyboard makes up for it — it sounds great, and the switches are fast, feel good, and aren't too loud. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of visual capabilities of the built-in LCD screen (while it’s nice to have a picture of my dog, Daphne, on my keyboard... it's not necessarily the most useful feature).

While I like this keyboard, I'm not sure it's worth $230. Sure, the screen, customizability, and generous support for your Stream Deck is cool — but I don’t think it’s $230 cool. Instead, I'd recommend Corsair's K70 Max RGB, which is less than $200 and does just about everything the Vanguard Pro 96 does. If yu're not sold on magnetic switches, I'd also recommend the K70 Core RGB, which is just $70.

A keyboard can make or break the experience of using your PC, so it’s highly recommended that you get a proper one for your workstation or gaming rig. Unfortunately, these peripherals can be pricey, with the best gaming keyboards often costing over $100. Fortunately, we found a budget option just before Amazon Prime Big Deals Day in the $50 SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL — even better, it’s currently on sale at just $16.99 on Woot!, giving you even bigger savings.

• Check out this deal on Woot!

We reviewed the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL soon after it launched, and it received our Editor’s Choice award. That’s because even though it costs just a little less than $50, it surprisingly punches way above its weight. This keyboard gives budget PC builders a chance to get a decent peripheral, and at 66%, you’re saving even more if you buy it right now.

The Apex 3 TKL isn’t a mechanical keyboard, which will disappoint some enthusiasts. But despite that, it offers a lot for $16.99. You get dedicated media keys, IP32 water resistance, adjustable feet, and a user-friendly app. There’s also an RGB backlight to help you see the keys in the dark (although it isn’t per-key). And if you do not appreciate the racket that more expensive clicky mechanical keyboards make, you’re going to love the Whisper-Quiet membrane switches SteelSeries used on this budget keyboard.

Of course, you’re going to miss out on a few things. For example, it doesn’t come with a detachable USB cable and only supports 24-key rollover. It’s also pretty light, coming in at less than one and a half pounds (639 grams, to be exact) — close to the weight of the 13-inch iPad Air. However, these are trade-offs I’m willing to accept to get a decent gaming keyboard for under $20.

The TKL layout is ideal for budget gamers who also use their PC for productivity tasks. You get large swathes of desktop real estate for swiping your mouse during intense gaming sessions, but you still get all the alphanumeric and navigation keys on it. You’ll only lose the numeric keypad, which some people don’t use anyway, while still retaining the alphanumeric key layout most are accustomed to, minimizing mispresses.

If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

Masters of retro keyboard designs, 8BitDo has done an amazing job creating mechanical keyboards influenced by iconic moments in computer gaming history. With a variety of color schemes and accents that have been drawn from computer legends such as the NES/Famicom consoles from Nintendo, to the Commodore 64, the keyboards have captured the essence of those early icons.

Now it's the turn of Microsoft's Xbox, with the 8BitDo retro keyboard mimicking that of the early translucent Xbox gaming consoles. Combining the see-through chassis with RGB lighting makes quite a striking statement on your desk. A splash of color and vibrancy, plus that nostalgia hit, can propel your setup to new comfort levels.

The 8Bitdo Xbox Retro Mechanical Keyboard is available at Woot for just $64.99, the lowest price seen for this variant of the keyboard. The usual list price for this keeb is $119.99, so you're saving a cool 46% off that price. Also, as Woot is under the Amazon umbrella, if you have a Prime membership, you can grab free shipping on this order.

• Check out the deal at Woot

8BitDo's retro keyboard features a TKL (TenKeyLess) layout with the number pad removed, but still keeps the function and arrow keys. There are 87 keys total, with double-layered ABS keycaps giving that see-through aesthetic. The mechanical switches used are clicky Kailh Jellyfish X's, although you can swap these out for you're own personal preference as the PCB is hot-swappable.

Whether you love it or hate it, this keyboard has a unique aesthetic inspired by the original translucent editions of the Xbox games console. For fans of the original consoles, this keyboard is a wonderful journey back in time, but it might not be to everyone's taste, as this color scheme and look can certainly stand out and feel garish.

Accompanying the keyboard are giant super-buttons, which are a little peripheral accessory for the keyboard that you can connect up and assign a multitude of functions to. Use them to launch your favorite app or game with fast mapping. Another feature of this keyboard is a dedicated Xbox button for activating the Windows Game Bar for PC gaming.

If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

We loved the original Asus ROG Azoth, and how it introduced keyboard enthusiast features, such as hot-swappable switches and a full switch lubing kit to get gamers started with the custom keyboard side of things — it would probably make our best gaming keyboards list, were it not for the price (and Armoury Crate). But it's two years old, so it's due for an update — Asus did release the Azoth Extreme last summer, but it wasn't really an update so much as it was a premium alternative to the original.

But Asus has updated a few things in its new ROG Azoth X — new switches, keycaps, and accessories, and a very different aesthetic. The ROG Azoth X is a wireless 75-percent keyboard with a small OLED display in the upper right corner.

It features a plastic chassis with an aluminum top plate, double-shot PBT keycaps with three translucent sides for brighter, better backlighting, and your choices of Asus' ROG NX switches in Snow (linear) or Storm (clicky). Like the original Azoth, the Azoth X has a hot-swappable PCB and extra attention paid to case foam and sound-dampening, though it now sports a more interesting aesthetic than the original's boring (but premium-looking) dark-gray-on-darker-gray.

Actually, the Azoth X is very different-looking — it's all white with Asus' "Stellar" theme keycaps, which are white and black with accents in a blue-red gradient. The keycaps also have a sort of retro aesthetic to them, with squared-off tops and a sci-fi inspired font. And I have to say... I don't hate it — it's eye-catching without being way too much. But it does have a very distinct style, and that might not be for everyone.

The Azoth is available now for $299.99.

Design and Construction of the ROG Azoth X

The keyboard features an aluminum top plate painted a smooth, matte white, atop a plastic chassis. It's a little less hefty than the original Azoth — the Azoth X weighs around 2.17 pounds (985.5g), versus the original Azoth's 2.61 pounds (1,186g). (And it's quite a bit lighter than the Azoth Extreme, which weighs 3.22lbs / 1,460.5g.)

Still, at just over 2 pounds, the Azoth X is heavier than most 75-percent boards from mainstream gaming companies — the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%, for example, weighs 1.8 pounds (815g), while the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless weighs 1.65 pounds (747g).

The Azoth X is fairly compact, measuring 12.81 inches (325.42mm) wide by 5.36 inches (136.16mm) deep, which is basically the exact same size as the original Azoth.

The keyboard is 1.57 inches (40.5mm) high at its thickest point (including keycaps), with the front edge measuring 0.56 inches (14.2mm) high. It comes with a rubber wrist rest that measures 12.81 inches (325.42mm) wide by 3.54 inches (90mm) deep, making the entire setup 8.92 inches (226.6mm) deep.

The Azoth X looks pretty different from both the original Azoth and the Azoth Extreme. It's the same size as the original Azoth, but that's basically where the aesthetic similarities stop — the Azoth X is entirely white, with silver hardware and a shiny, mirrored OLED screen in the upper right corner.

The keyboard features dye-sublimated double-shot PBT keycaps with three translucent sides — the sides facing away from you — for better RGB lighting shinethrough. The keycaps themselves are white and black, with blue, red, and purple accents. They have primary legends printed on the tops and secondary legends printed on the side that faces you.

The original Azoth impressed us with its minimalist, understated design, and by comparison the Azoth X is much more... in your face. But I like it — the muted gray and black of the original Azoth did make it look expensive, but it also made it look almost exactly like every other high-end gaming keyboard trying to dial back the gamer aesthetic.

The Azoth X is bright, different, and interesting to look at, but it doesn't aggressively scream "gaming keyboard." The keycaps' theme and retro styling make it look more like an enthusiast board, though the bright RGB backlighting still gives it plenty of gamer flare.

The Azoth X has a small grayscale OLED screen in the upper right corner, which is about the same as the screen on the original Azoth — a 2-inch grayscale animated OLED that measures 2.28 x 0.83 inches (58 x 21mm) and is controlled by a three-way control knob and button combo.

Pressing the button switches between modes — media control (volume), media control (track), brightness adjustment (backlighting), lighting effect, and brightness adjustment (OLED display), and the knob adjusts the settings. You can also adjust the keyboard's backlight brightness and effect using Fn shortcuts (Fn + arrow keys).

The back of the keyboard is plastic, with four rubber strips to hold it in place on your desk and two levels of plastic flip-out feet. There's a power switch that lets you toggle between wireless connections along the top right, next to a place to store the keyboard's 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle. The USB-C charging port is located on the opposite side.

The keyboard comes with a handful of accessories in the box, though not quite the original Azoth's full lubing kit/station. On the connectivity side, there's a 6-foot (1.8m) braided USB-C to USB-A cable and a USB extender for the keyboard's 2.4GHz wireless USB-C dongle.

The keyboard is hot-swappable, so it also comes with a switch puller and a keycap puller and three extra switches, plus an alternate Ctrl keycap for the right Ctrl key, which functions out of the box as a Copilot key.

Like the Azoth Extreme, the Azoth X also comes with a wrist rest — which is, arguably, a more useful accessory than a lubing kit. The Azoth X's wrist rest is white and made of silicon with a soft-touch finish, and features the iconic ROG eye logo debossed on the right side.

It fits perfectly up against the keyboard, and while it's not plush or padded, it provides solid, firm support for your wrists and palms while typing (and it's pretty comfortable, too). I did complain about silicon looking less-than-premium when we saw a similar wrist rest with the Azoth Extreme, but the Azoth X isn't a $500 keyboard (the Azoth X's wrist rest is just silicon, not silicon and metal, like the Azoth Extreme's).

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the ROG Azoth X

The ROG Azoth X comes with Asus' house-brand NX switches in either linear (NX Snow V2) or clicky (NX Storm V2). Like the other keyboards in the Azoth lineup, it features a hot-swappable PCB and comes with a keycap/switch puller, as well as three extra switches, to get you started.

The NX Snow V2 switches are Asus' second-gen "refined linear" switches, and feel like... well, slightly-refined linear switches. They feature a smooth, straight linear press with no audible click or tactile bump, and they feel very good — they're pre-lubed and very consistent.

The Azoth X has a gasket-mounted design for flex, and an FR4 positioning plate — which is slightly stiffer than I prefer, but does offer a bright, crisp "pop" sound when you bottom out. The case features five layers of sound-dampening material (one layer of silicone and four layers of PORON foam), for what Asus calls "sublime" acoustics.

The acoustics are good, but I wouldn't call them sublime. While there's very little case ping, the space bar has a loud, deadening "thunk" that's inconsistent with the other keys. This is because the space bar has been packed with silicone to prevent it from sounding hollow and rattly — and it doesn't, but it is instead much louder than the rest of the keys. I ended up swapping it with a regular space bar, and it sounds much better — it rattles a little, but it's much better than the thunking. (Swapping out the space bar isn't an ideal solution, as it disrupts the whole "themed keycap" aesthetic, but it's an easy one.)

As for the keycaps themselves, they have flat, square tops and a smooth, slightly matte finish. They have a Cherry profile, which means they're lower-profile than OEM keycaps and have sculpted rows.

I have no complaints about the Azoth X's keycaps — they were comfortable enough but didn't otherwise stand out. They are double-shot PCB, at least, so they should last longer than the typical ABS keycaps found on most mainstream gaming keyboards.

Typing on the Azoth X is both comfortable and pleasant, and it's especially impressive compared to other mainstream gaming keyboards. It also sounds good, though the sound is brighter and more on the "pop" side, rather than the "thock" side.

If you're looking for a gaming keyboard that really does have a sublime typing experience with linear switches, I'd suggest the Arbiter Studio Polar 75 Pro or the Meletrix Boog75 (though the latter is more for typing than it is for gaming).

Features and Software of the ROG Azoth X

The Azoth X is configurable using Asus' Armoury Crate software, which is — as you probably know by now — my least favorite peripheral software. However, this time there's a twist, because the Azoth X now comes supporting Asus' new web-based Armoury Crate, which is, well... entirely online. That means you don't have to download the awful bloatware that is Armoury Crate just to customize your keyboard — supposedly.

At the time of this writing, I was unable to find the web-based Armoury Crate at the link Asus provided, so I attempted to take the Azoth X for a spin in the regular, software-based Armoury Crate.

Of course, I was required to update the firmware twice, for some reason, and restart my computer, before I could use Armoury Crate. Once I was in, it offered the standard functionality of key remapping, customizing the control knob and the OLED screen — you can upload your own pictures, including GIFs, to display on the screen (or you can turn it off, to save battery life) — changing the lighting, and checking battery life and adjusting power settings.

It also lets you set up "Speed Tap," which is basically snap tap or SOCD ("Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions"). This is a gaming feature that prioritizes the most recent input between two keys and releases the earlier one so you can switch directions / strafe quickly in games like Counter-Strike 2. It's a pretty controversial feature, as many consider it to be cheating.

The original ROG Azoth has backlighting, but it's not particularly visible, as the original Azoth also has solid, non-shinethrough keycaps. The Azoth X, however, has semi-translucent keycaps — or, well, keycaps that are translucent on three sides, for a much more satisfying backlighting effect. You can adjust the keyboard's backlighting on the keyboard itself, using Fn shortcuts, on the OLED screen, using the multi-function knob/button, or in Armoury Crate.

The Azoth X has three forms of connectivity — 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth (up to three devices simultaneously), and wired (USB-C). It boasts an impressive battery life akin to its predecessors — up to 1,600 hours with the backlighting and OLED screen turned off, over a standard 2.4GHz wireless connection.

Asus says that it can also get up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate with the ROG polling rate booster... but it doesn't come with an ROG polling rate booster, so you'll have to buy that separately (not that anyone really needs a keyboard with an 8,000 Hz polling rate).

The Bottom Line

The ROG Azoth X is an interesting update to the Azoth and the Azoth Extreme — it goes in a very different aesthetic direction, but it's one that gamers might appreciate, with better-looking RGB backlighting and an overall theme that's... gamer-adjacent. It offers a much better typing experience than most mainstream gaming keyboards, and features a hot-swappable PCB for those who want to experiment with the enthusiast side of things.

Still, the typing experience isn't quite as "sublime" as one you'll get from a more enthusiast keyboard (or something that's just on that side of the line, such as the Meletrix Boog75), so keep that context in mind. And perhaps I'm the only one who hated the thunky space bar, but that inconsistency was enough to remind me that this is still a gaming keyboard and not an enthusiast keyboard — even if Asus is trying very hard to pass it off as one. It's also a whopping $300, which is $50 more than the original Azoth (and only $200 less than the Azoth Extreme). If you're looking at keyboards in the $300 range, an enthusiast board such as the Mode Loop TKL (2024) offers a much better.

If you're looking for a low-profile wireless gaming keyboard, you might still be looking — there aren't too many on the market, as "gaming" usually suggests a focus on performance, while "low-profile" usually suggests compromising performance for convenience and portability. But there are a few low-profile gaming keyboards out there, such as Logitech's G915 — which found its way onto our list of best wireless gaming keyboards several times over the years since it first launched in 2019.

Needless to say, it's time for an update — but Logitech knows better than to fix what isn't broken. So, it's not too surprising that the new Logitech G915 X TKL looks almost identical to the original G915 — right down to the wrapped aluminum top plate, dedicated connectivity, game mode, lighting, and media buttons, and light-up "G" logo in the upper left corner. But there are changes that you can't see on the surface — namely, Logitech's new low-profile switches (in linear, tactile, or clicky), which have been refined for more stable keypresses and compatibility with third-party keycaps. The new board also sports decent battery life (if you turn off the RGB backlighting), tri-mode wireless connectivity, and a slightly more solid (and heftier) case build.

The G915 X series includes both a full-size and a TKL option — we're taking a look at the TKL version, which comes in black and white and was priced at $199.99 when it launched in Sept. 2024, but now appears to have increased in price to $229.99.

Design and Construction of the G915 X TKL

The G915 X TKL is a wireless low-profile gaming keyboard with a tenkeyless (TKL) layout. This means it has a full function row, arrow keys, and a navigation cluster, but no 10-key numberpad.

The keyboard is sleek, as in slim, but it sports a pretty roomy layout, with space between the function keys and dedicated connectivity buttons and media keys located along the top. It comes in two colorways — white, which has a silver brushed-aluminum top plate and white keys with shine-through legends; and black, which has a gunmetal gray brushed-aluminum top plate and black keycaps with shinethrough legends.

The G915 X TKL looks a lot like its predecessor, the G915 TKL. The keyboard sports the same brushed-aluminum top plate — though it's now slightly thicker (1.5mm vs 1.2mm) for (slightly) more structural strength and a more premium typing experience.

The brushed-aluminum top plate wraps around the sides, giving the keyboard unique, rounded edges. It features Logitech's "G" logo — backlit, as this is the flagship lineup of Logitech's low-profile gaming keyboards, after all — and eight round, backlit, soft-touch buttons. The first two buttons are for switching between 2.4GHz "Lightspeed" wireless and Bluetooth connections — like the G515 Lightspeed TKL, the G915 X TKL can only connect to one Bluetooth device at a time, so you can really only switch quickly between two devices. (Still, that's probably all you need — how many Bluetooth devices do you need to type on at once?)

The next button turns on Game Mode, which you can set up in Logitech's G Hub software, and the last button in that cluster adjusts the brightness of the backlighting (or turns it off completely). The next four-button cluster is just media keys, and is pretty self-explanatory: rewind, play/pause, fast forward, and mute.

There's also a wide metal volume roller, which has light striations for grip and a smooth (not notched) roll. The media keys and volume roller are remappable; the connectivity/game mode/lighting buttons are not. If you're the kind of person who uses dedicated media keys and likes to switch between connections or in and out of Game Mode quickly, the G915 X TKL lays it all out there for you. But if you're like me, who almost never uses dedicated media keys or switches away from her PC, this does seem like a waste of space.

The G915 X TKL is a slim but moderate-sized keyboard. It measures 15.2 inches (368mm) wide by 5.91 inches (150mm) deep, and is 0.88 inches (22.6mm) thick at its thickest point, including keycaps.

It has the exact same dimensions as its predecessor, the G915 TKL, though the new G915 X TKL is slightly heavier at 1.9 pounds (860g), vs the original's 1.8 pounds (810g). It's surprisingly heavy for how slim it is, and the weight makes it feel like a solid, well-built board.

The keyboard may not be the most compact low-profile keyboard, but the roomier layout makes for a more comfortable typing experience — the Fn keys are spaced (in groups of four), which makes it easier to touch-type Fn shortcuts without looking at the keyboard, and the arrow keys and navigation cluster are not right up next to the alphanumeric keys.

This might not seem like a big deal, but trust me — it's much easier to switch to a roomy layout like this than it is to switch to something ultra-compact, like the perfectly-fit-together Nuphy Air75 V2.

On the back of the keyboard, you'll find four strips of anti-slip rubber and two sets of flip-out feet, which set the typing angle to 4 degrees or 8 degrees. There's also a convenient slot for storing the 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle, which is always handy on a keyboard that's sized for travel like the G915 X TKL is.

In the box, the G915 X TKL comes with a 5.9-foot (1.8m) USB-A to USB-C charging cable, a USB extender, and a 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the G915 X TKL

The G915 X TKL now features Logitech's new, redesigned low-profile switches in linear, tactile, or clicky. They're the same switches we saw in the Logitech G515 Lightspeed TKL — low-profile with a POM cross-style stem for a more stable keypress, a better typing experience, and compatibility with third-party keycaps.

Our review unit came with linear switches, which have an actuation force of 43g and actuate at 1.3mm (reduced from 1.5mm in the old switches), with a total travel distance of 3.2mm (increased from 2.7mm in the old switches). The switches feature a smooth, consistent keypress with no tactile bump or audible click, and were speedy enough for me to keep up (as much as I normally can, anyway), in fist-person shooters like Counter-Strike 2.

Gamers usually like linear switches for their speed, and I will say that the linear switches' slightly lower actuation force did seem to make a difference here — not one that was noticeable in gaming so much as it was in typing, however. My fingers were flying across the keyboard so quickly that I did initially find myself making quite a few errors, and I blame that on the lighter actuation. The linear switches have the lightest actuation force; the tactile switches have an actuation force of 45g, while the clicky switches have an actuation force of 48g. (All three switch types have the same actuation point and total travel distance.)

The keycaps also likely contributed, at least somewhat, to the learning curve on this keyboard — they're wide and flat, with lightly curved tops and that slightly gritty texture you expect from double-shot PBT keycaps.

The higher-quality double-shot PBT keycaps are definitely appreciated — while the switches have been updated to be compatible with third-party keycaps, that doesn't mean there are tons of low-profile keycaps out there — and regular keycaps won't work on a low-profile switch. The keycaps have shine-through legends, which are crisp and clear and show off the keyboard's bright RGB backlighting perfectly.

The G915 X TKL does suffer from some of the same issues as its cheaper counterpart, the G515 Lightspeed TKL, especially when it comes to sound: this is a pretty rattly keyboard, though Logitech has done a decent job of sound-dampening in the case.

The switches are factory-lubed and feel smooth, but typing on this keyboard will get you a consistent, lightweight rattling from the keycaps every time you press a key down. It's not necessarily an unpleasant sound, but it's not what most keyboard enthusiasts are looking for in a keyboard. The G915 X TKL has an aluminum top plate, so it doesn't get the same plasticky rattle as the G515 Lightspeed TKL did in our testing, but it does occasionally give some mild metallic pings. That said, typing on a low-profile keyboard always involves some sort of compromise.

Features and Software of the G915 X TKL

The G915 X TKL is configurable with G Hub, which is Logitech's universal gaming peripheral software. You can use G Hub to customize the keyboard's lighting (and sync the lighting effects with other Logitech G products you might own), remap keys and buttons, and set up game mode.

Remapping in G Hub is more convoluted than it needs to be, but thanks to Logitech's new "Keycontrol," you can map three layers deep — primary, Fn, and G-Shift. You can also save profiles in the software and on the device itself, and tie profiles to specific apps or games. The media keys and the volume roller are reprogrammable, but the first four buttons (2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, Game Mode, and lighting) are not.

The keyboard features bright, per-key backlighting, which looks great against the shiny, top plate. In G Hub you can customize the color of each key individually, if you want — and this includes the Logitech "G" logo and each of the buttons along the top.

G Hub also comes preloaded with a handful of standard effects — color cycle, breathing, audio visualizer, etc. — and allows you to create and save your own animated lighting effects, which can be layered. You can control the brightness of the backlight directly from the keyboard using the dedicated lighting button.

The G915 X TKL has three forms of connectivity — 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired (via USB-C). The first connectivity button toggles between 2.4GHz wireless and wired, while the second button switches to Bluetooth (and can also be held down to enter pairing mode). You can only connect to one Bluetooth device at a time, however, so this is not the keyboard for you if you have multiple phones.

Logitech rates the G915 X TKL's battery life at "up to 1000 hours" over 2.4GHz wireless — but that's with the backlighting off, of course. With the lighting on at full brightness you can expect to get around 42 hours, which is still pretty good — enough to get you through more than a week's worth of pretty heavy usage before you'll need to recharge.

The Bottom Line

If you were looking to replace your G915 TKL with a slightly better G915 TKL, the G915 X TKL is a solid update to the line. It features more versatile switches — though they're not hot-swappable — better battery life, and a solidly-built case — and it's speedy enough, even for competitive gamers. And while the typing experience is a little rattly, it's not bad — once you get used to the lighter-weight switches and flat, smooth keycaps, you'll be typing up a storm on this keyboard without any issues.

There are low-profile keyboards with better typing experiences, but they tend to be mediocre for gaming — the Lofree Edge and the Chilkey ND75 LP both sound and feel great, but aren't great for gaming despite their general specs (N-key rollover, 1,000 Hz polling rate) suggesting they are. While gaming peripheral software often infuriates me, it does happen to have a lot of features that are convenient for, well, gaming — and while G Hub is overcomplicated, it's a decent companion when you're, well, gaming.

Of course, if you're looking for something very similar to the G915 X TKL, just... cheaper, the less premium G515 Lightspeed TKL is the same size and thickness and costs $139.99.

Gaming keyboards with magnetic Hall Effect switches used to be fairly pricey, but these days you can find one affordably priced right on Amazon — thanks to last year's influx of Wooting-esque boards. Of course, just because something is cheap and accessible doesn't mean it's going to be the best at what it sets out to do.

That's where the iQunix EZ63 comes in. It digs into the details with the intent of being the single most responsive Hall Effect keyboard you can buy today. It's certainly one of the best-built HE keyboards I’ve tested so far, and it backs up its speedy-response claims with measurably lower latency, all while sporting the style the brand has come to be known for. Although responsiveness at the levels the EZ63 and its competitors are aiming for are mostly imperceptible to us mere mortals, it's safe to say that this keyboard delivers a fantastic gaming experience and doesn't leave any performance on the table.

iQunix EZ63 Specs

Design of the iQunix EZ63

The iQunix EZ is available in two different layouts: the standard EZ60, which uses a traditional 60-percent layout; and the EZ63 — what we tested for this review — which has a 60-percent layout plus arrow keys and a dedicated Delete button. Both versions do away with the function row, navigation cluster, and editing cluster, and instead offer full programmability, allowing you to add any of the missing functions as secondary keys using iQunix's online configurator.

This compact layout has benefits for gaming — which is its intended purpose, after all — however, it may prove difficult to use when typing normally if you're not already used to this kind of limited layout. The lack of many keys found on larger and more common layouts can take some getting used to. But for gamers, it allows you more room for large mouse swipes and also lets you keep your hands closer together for improved comfort over time.

The EZ63's layout is a bit easier to get used to thanks to the arrow keys — but, curiously, iQunix did not map many of the missing functions that gamers and typists might want to the secondary layer by default. For example, there is no default mapping for Print Screen, which gamers often use for taking screenshots. Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down are also nowhere to be found. Thankfully, these are easy to add back in if you need them, but it would have been nice to see these functions mapped to the keyboard's secondary layer straight out of the box.

The EZ63's build quality is hard to argue with, however: the keyboard is made out of solid aluminum that has been anodized for brighter colors and increased durability. The keycaps are also excellent — made out of durable PBT plastic and formed with a doubleshot molding process so the legends will never chip or fade.

iQunix's Star Trail switches — built collaboratively with Gateron — are very good, and are second only to Gateron's Magnetic Jade Pros. Both represent the peak in sound and feel for magnetic key switches at the moment, and you don't have to be an enthusiast to notice the improvement. The EZ63 is also available with the Jade Pros, though I suspect that many gamers who also want this keyboard for typing will prefer the Star Trail switches for their slightly heavier touch and greater customizability in actuation points.

The design of the EZ63 is nothing if not interesting — though, like most iQunix keyboards, you'll need to get on board with the theme as well as the design of the case. While it's clearly well-made and definitely has a visual identity that sets it apart from the competition, you'll need to be a fan of gray, white, and blue, and also not have a need for adjustable tilt feet — instead, the aluminum sides have the feet built-in. It's set to a 6.5 degree typing angle, which is right in the middle of the options provided by most gaming keyboards with flippy feet, but you're out of luck if you want something adjustable.

RGB fans will also be pleased to hear that the keyboard supports per-key backlighting. Since the keycaps do not use backlit legends, they're not much help for typing in the dark, but the backlighting does create a nice bed of light. It's not the brightest keyboard lighting — it's still visible in a well-lit room, but it definitely looks best in the dark.

Keyboard enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that the EZ63 incorporates gasket mounting for a quieter, dampened typing experience. Now, it's not an especially soft typing experience by design. Because Hall Effect keyboards are so sensitive and rely on precise measurements of the magnetic flux, flex is something that is best avoided.

The second highlight is that the keyboard doesn't require calibration like most other magnetic keyboards do. Instead, iQunix has developed an automatic tuning system that keeps each key switch calibrated in real-time. It's a small thing but a timesaver and one less thing to worry about when you have Rapid Trigger enabled or multi-action keys.

But, as iQunix itself says on the EZ63’s product page, performance is what matters most. It starts with an 8,000 Hz polling rate. This means that the keyboard is reporting key presses to your PC eight thousand times every second (0.125ms). While that’s not a rare polling rate these days, it pairs that with an internal “scan rate” of 5,000 Hz.

While the two are often conflated, a keyboard’s scan rate is how often its processor scans to see if a key is pressed. A keyboard’s polling rate is how often it reports that to the PC. The internal scan rate directly impacts total latency. Unfortunately, keyboard manufacturers don’t often disclose the scan rates of their keyboards, but it is usually lower than the polling rate. So, a 1,000 Hz polling rate keyboard may only have a 500 Hz scan rate, raising the real world, full-report latency higher than the one millisecond touted on the features list.

With a 5,000 Hz scan rate and an 8,000 Hz polling rate, the EZ63 is able to offer measurably lower latency. In fact, on its Instagram account, iQunix subtly boasted about beating the Wooting 80HE at Wooting’s own booth. Admittedly, only by a single millisecond — so we’re well within the margin of error — but it’s impressive, nonetheless.

The switches also have a role to play. iQunix partnered with Gateron to create the Star Trail switches and they’re an immediate upgrade to the Magnetic Jade Pros that have been so highly lauded. They’re a slightly heavier switch, with a bottom-out force of 60gf, while the Jade Pros are 50gf, so you’re less likely to make typos. You can adjust the actuation point across its entire 4.0 travel, with smaller programmable deadzones at the top and bottom, and you can set trigger distances in impressive 0.05mm distances (most HE keyboards are locked to a full millimeter).They’re incredibly smooth, sound great, and have less wobble, thanks to a rail system that locks the switches to tighter tolerances. They’re also rated for 150 million key presses compared to the "paltry" 100 million of the Jade Pros.

If you're up for a change, the switches are hot-swappable. Just be aware that, like most magnetic keyboards, it is configured only for a small selection based on the magnetic strength of a handful of different switches. As of this writing, you can choose between iQunix Star Trails, Gateron Magnetic Jade Pros, or Gateron Pink Jade Pros.

Look, we’re getting into the weeds here. The fact of the matter is that, with the exception of the feel of the switches themselves, these spec differences aren’t going to be something you can actually feel. They’re paper differences — measurable by machines, but virtually imperceptible when compared against something like the Wooting 80HE. It’s about removing the glass ceiling above your performance and having a pro-grade tool at your fingertips when it’s time to compete.

That isn’t to say that the EZ63 won’t feel better than cheaper Hall Effect keyboards — I definitely noticed a difference between it and my Arbiter Polar 65, and that’s especially true when you factor in some of its software capabilities. Of course, at more than a 40% price increase, I expected nothing less.

That’s why it’s important to consider it as a full package, so let’s move onto the software.

Software for the iQunix EZ63

The iQunix EZ63 does not have downloadable software. Instead, it uses an online configurator that allows you to change the key maps, the actuation settings, rapid trigger, SOCD, and the lighting.

The software is fairly easy to come to grips with — though it is still in development. For example, as of this writing, the opening dialog box isn't in English. This is expected to change in the near future. There also aren't explanations for some of the layer access controls, so you have to have some background knowledge into QMK or VIA.

I was impressed with the amount of options it provided. For example, setting a custom actuation point is easy enough that a complete newcomer should have no problem. On that same screen you can adjust Rapid Trigger settings. It's not groundbreaking, but it is intuitive.

Using the software, you can remap keys across a whopping ten layers. This is more than twice the layers you can map on most of iQunix's other keyboards — and most gaming keyboards in general, excepting those with cloud-based profile saves. Unlike those keyboards, though, all of the layers are stored right in the keyboard's firmware and don't require any software or Internet connection to access. These layers can then be accessed through different methods, such as designating one key to turn a layer on and off or activating a layer just when a certainty is held. There is a dedicated Fn button but you can also choose any other that you would like if it's more convenient. (For example, I use the Caps Lock key so that I can always press it with my pinky and keep my fingers on Home Row.)

Another interesting feature is that you can assign multiple pairs of keys for SOCD. SOCD, sometimes called Snappy Tappy or Snap Tap, allows you to instantly overwrite your last keypress by pressing another one and then resume that keypress when you release it. In practice, this allows you to strafe more rapidly than you would otherwise be able to. Many keyboards limit you to a single pair of keys, such as A and D, so I was pleased to see this expanded functionality.

Wooting still has some additional functions, like full analog controls in gamepad emulation, but it's impressive what iQunix has built into this early version of the software. In time, it's likely that the company will continue to add even more features to make it more competitive in this segment of the keyboard space. It has proven to be a popular launch so far, so there’s every reason to continue improving upon it.

The biggest limitation is with the keyboard's RGB backlighting. While you can set the animation preset, the brightness, and the speed, you won't find advanced options for custom animations like you would in Razer Synapse or Corsair iCUE. Still, it's easy to get up in the running and takes only minutes to have the keyboard looking good — as long as you like one of the animations included in the generous selection of presets.

Typing Experience of the iQunix EZ63

The typing experience on the EZ63 is overall good, but it is clearly not tuned for typing straight out of the box. I say this because the default is only around one millimeter. With relatively lightweight linear switches, this makes them feel very sensitive and they are prone to typos.

Now, this is easily corrected with the online configurator and using that tool it can actually become quite good for accuracy when typing. After some trial and error, I set my typing actuation point to be all the way down at 3.2mm. With this simple change, the EZ63 became one of the most accurate keyboards I have tested. Typos are still possible if you are prone to bottoming out, but if you are a fast touch typist it's an effective solution to minimize errors.

As I mentioned in the previous section, the typing experience is firm. This has been the case for every Hall Effect keyboard I've tested to date and isn't something I particularly mind. But if you prefer that soft bottom-out with noticeable give under normal keypresses, this isn't the keyboard for you. If, instead, you put more value on the smoothness and stability of the keys, you will likely find a lot to enjoy here.

Given iQunix's track record of delivering some of the best pre-built keyboards on the market, it comes as no surprise that the EZ63 is quite a refined keyboard. The switches are smooth, without the barest hint of spring ping, the stabilizers are pre-lubed and don't rattle at all, and because the keycaps are so thick, they lend a pleasant solidity to the typing experience and depth to the sound.

Despite the lack of adjustable tilt feet, the natural angle of the keyboard and the height of the front lip were about perfect for me. I typically type between 90 and 100 words per minute, and was able to match that here just as soon as I set the lower actuation point to better match productivity applications.

Though it feels good to type on, its compact layout could potentially be an issue for some users. If you need a function row or dedicated navigation and editing buttons, this simply won't be the keyboard for you. Trying to use the keyboard for productivity also highlights the lack of default mappings for some very common keys. You don't have to be a writer to benefit from using Page Up and Page Down on your keyboard. With so many places these functions could be mapped on the secondary layer, it's a bit disappointing that iQunix just leaves them blank and forces you to map them yourself. Again, it’s not difficult, but should it be necessary? I don’t think so, especially not when the vast majority of users will also be using the keyboard for normal typing.

Gaming Experience on the iQunix EZ63

Ultimately, this is a gaming keyboard and, unsurprisingly, that's where it shines best. Now, I'm not going to lie: This keyboard, like every other, is not going to suddenly make you an amazing gamer. You will still need the skill and have to put in the practice if you want to achieve greatness. At the same time, you can tell that a lot of care and effort went into making sure this keyboard will deliver the best possible performance for competitive gaming.

Because of its faster scan rate, it's fair to say that it is one of, if not the, fastest gaming keyboard you can buy right now. How long it will hold that title is an open question, and whether or not it will personally benefit you is another. But it certainly feels responsive under the fingers.

I played multiple rounds of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 and loved the reactive feel. With Rapid Trigger set to reset the switch as soon as I let up even a half a millimeter, starts and stops felt instant in a way that is measurably small but definitely noticeable in actual gameplay. Ground-breaking? No, but it definitely makes this keyboard a strong competitor to Wooting.

Getting the most out of it does take some setup. You'll need to go into the software and make sure you have an actuation point that feels comfortable to you. While there, it's best to enable Rapid Trigger and set your reset point and deadzones to their minimums. This will ensure that you are getting the fastest possible performance from the keyboard. With everything set to its minimum (except for the actuation point, because its minimum will literally trigger keys from bumping your desk), The EZ63 begins to feel like a hair-trigger gaming keyboard. You think it, and it happens.

Much like an ultralight gaming mouse, this kind of responsiveness allows you to forget about the peripheral in front of you. Does that make a difference? I suppose that depends on the skill you are bringing to the table. In my opinion, I believe that anything that helps the peripheral get out of the way and allows you to just respond, confident that you are going to have the reaction that you are expecting at all times, is a good thing that can only enhance gameplay.

If you do happen to be a bit of a keyboard aficionado, you will likely appreciate the slightly heavier weight of the Star Trail switches too. If you are a pure gamer who only cares about the lightest touch however the Magnetic Jade Pros or Jade Pinks will probably be the better choice with the latter coming in at only 30gf. But don't breathe too hard, or they'll actuate and you'll blow your cover.

Bottom Line

The iQunix EZ63 is a great keyboard that manages not to be another "me too" in a gaming market currently overwhelmed with choices. The company's dedication to focusing on performance while still bringing in some of the qualities it has become best known for, like its full aluminum case and unique sense of style, make it one of the best contenders for a magnetic gaming keyboard available today, especially if you like the compactness of the Wooting 60HE but need those arrow keys, or simply want a keyboard that feels significantly higher quality: better made, better tuned, and better presented straight out of the box.

If the EZ63 isn't your thing, the next logical choice is Wooting. You have the Wooting 60HE or the Wooting 80HE if you prefer something closer to a 75% layout. The Arbiter Polar 65 is another solid option that costs significantly less. It's not quite as responsive as the EZ63 but it's still a Hall Effect keyboard with much better responsiveness than any mechanical gaming keyboard out there. If you're looking for something from a tried and true gaming brand that you can find at the likes of Best Buy, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro is one of the best options.

While it's true that the majority of us will never be able to tell the difference between single milliseconds of responsiveness, there's something to be said for knowing that you have one of the fastest and most responsive gaming keyboards available. Like a carpenter that demands only the best tools, professional gamers demand the best peripherals. The iQunix EZ63 fits that bill in more ways than one. It won’t be perfect for everyone, but if you’re the type of gamer seeking a compact, competitive keyboard that pulls out all the stops, it’s a great choice.

The Logitech G915 TKL is a low-profile mechanical keyboard that launched back in 2020, but it's still a good and capable option for those looking to build out a high-end gaming system. We loved the keyboard when we reviewed it back then, and many still love it today, despite the launch of newer models. One of its few downsides, though, was its $230 price tag. If you've been waiting since 2020 and still haven't gotten one, it may finally be your time.

The Logitech G915 TKL is currently on offer at a massive discount of 48% for the white model, bringing its price down to $119.99. If that’s not your style, the black model is also offered at 47% off for just $121. These massive discounts will save you over $100 on the purchase price, allowing you to finally get a beautifully crafted low-profile RGB mechanical keyboard without breaking your budget. While still not on par with the prices that you find on our best budget mechanical keyboards list, it makes it far more affordable than some of the premium models that you can find included in our best gaming keyboards.

The $120 price point is an absolute steal for the Logitech G915 TKL, especially as you get high-quality low-profile switches available in tactile, clicky, or linear. It also uses a single-piece aircraft-grade brushed aluminum alloy for its top plate, giving you the rigidity and solid build that you’d expect from a premium gaming keyboard. Aside from that, you get per-key lighting, allowing you to fully customize the look of your mechanical keyboard and even highlight specific keys.

You free up a lot of space on your desk since the G915 TKL drops the numpad, thus giving you ample room for moving your mouse around or placing an extra set of controllers around your workstation. Despite that, you still get media controls and a volume control wheel, making it easy to control your audio without pressing extra keys. There are three ways to connect the keyboard to your PC — via a wired USB-A to MicroUSB connection if you want the reliability of a cable (and for charging it), via Lightspeed technology with an included USB-A dongle, and Bluetooth.

If you want to know more about this keyboard and see your purchase options, you should visit the Logitech G915 TKL product page on Amazon. If you're interested, you should hurry, as we don’t until when this deal will last.

Glorious is trying something new with its GMMK 3 gaming keyboard lineup — a custom keyboard builder that lets you build your ideal gaming keyboard, from the size, layout, and switch plate to the keycaps, top and bottom cases, and rotary knob color. It's not cheap — far from it, in fact — but the brand is also selling a standard selection of pre-built GMMK 3 keyboards for those who don't need a customized build.

The GMMK 3 comes in several iterations of both the barebones and pre-built versions. These keyboards aren't cheap — the cheapest option you can buy is a 65-percent barebones wired keyboard with a plastic case and an aluminum switch plate for $79.99. Larger sizes (75-percent, full-size), premium materials (all-aluminum body), and support for magnetic (HE) switches cost more, with the most expensive barebones option coming in at $259.99. Pre-built versions, which come with switches and keycaps installed, start at $119.99 for a 65-percent wired keyboard with a plastic case and standard mechanical switches, and go all the way up to a whopping $409.99 for a full-size wireless keyboard with an all-aluminum body and magnetic (HE switches). That's already quite a bit for a mainstream gaming keyboard company — the full-size Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro costs $230.

If you decide to build your own keyboard using the Boardsmith, the price will start at $149.99 and can go all the way up to $608, depending on the options you choose. That price includes the $30 fee Glorious charges to assemble the keyboard, which seems fair given the labor involved. We did go through the GMMK 3 Boardsmith for this review, and our review unit, as configured, comes out to $568.99 — even pricier than the $500 Asus ROG Azoth Extreme, which is the only other mainstream gaming keyboard that even approaches this range.

Design and Construction of the GMMK 3

Glorious' custom keyboard builder is called the GMMK 3 Boardsmith, and it's a step-by-step process that lets you configure the keyboard piece by piece — you pick the parts and Glorious builds the board. The Boardsmith is easy to use and updates your build in real time, so you can see what it looks like as you build it. Each option is accompanied by a "Help Me Choose" button that gives you more information on each of the choices and how they'll affect your build/experience — a nice feature for anyone who's new to custom boards.

First you'll pick the language/layout (US English, UK English, German, Nordic, or French), size (65-percent, 75-percent, or full-size), and connectivity (wired or wireless). Both wired and wireless (2.4GHz) offer up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate, which is impressive and almost certainly unnecessary. Wireless includes both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth, but adds $116 - $130 to the price.

Then you'll pick the type of switch technology you want your board to support: standard mechanical switches or magnetic Hall Effect switches. It's worth noting that the magnetic option supports both magnetic switches and standard mechanical switches, and this is actually the first board we've seen with a PCB that lets you swap between standard and magnetic switches, though you'll need to run switch calibration on Glorious' software when you swap between the two.

As with other magnetic keyboards, switch support is limited — Glorious officially only supports its own magnetic switches, but other magnetic switches may work (I was able to swap in the Gateron double-rail Nebula switches from the Keychron Q1 HE). If you go with the standard non-magnetic switch PCB, you can also choose either north- or south-facing orientation (the magnetic switch PCB can only be mounted north-facing).

Once you have your layout down, you can move onto aesthetics, starting with the case. The top and bottom cases are selected separately, and both come in a selection of colors in plastic (black, translucent gray, translucent purple, white) or aluminum (arcade pink, arctic blue, jet black, matte white, midnight blue, sage green, silver), as well as a couple of limited-edition colors. You can mix and match colors and case materials, but a full aluminum case will cost an extra $160 - $175 over a full plastic case.

Next, you'll pick switches, and the selection will vary based on the PCB option you chose earlier. If you picked a standard PCB, you'll see a selection of standard MX mechanical switches from Glorious: Fox Ultralight MX (linear), Fox Standard MX (linear), Fox Heavy MX (linear), Lynx Standard MX (linear), Lynx Silent MX (linear), Panda Standard MX (tactile), Panda Silent MX (tactile), Mako Standard MX (tactile), Mako Ultralight MX (tactile), Raptor Silent MX (clicky).

If you chose a magnetic PCB, you'll see Glorious' HE switches: Fox Standard HE (linear), Lynx Standard HE (linear), Lynx Silent HE (linear), Raptor Standard HE (clicky), Panda Standard HE (tactile), Panda Silent HE (tactile). You will not see any of the standard switches as options, even though the magnetic PCB does support both types. Glorious wants to make sure that people buy switches that are compatible with their PCB choice, but it also wants to avoid the possible issue of customers picking the magnetic PCB and accidentally pairing it with standard switches and thus overspending on the PCB. While it's possible you could want a magnetic PCB for future flexibility (but you just want to grab cheap standard switches now), I guess Glorious figures that's not likely to happen often enough that it outweighs potential mistakes (which is probably true).

Then you'll see a range of keycaps from Glorious, including several types of shine-through keycaps — standard (shine-through legends), "aura" (translucent sides and legends), and "polychroma" (fully translucent), as well as plenty of opaque keycaps in basic colors, gradients, and several limited-edition styles. You can also buy the keyboard without switches (-$32.99) and keycaps (-$29.99) if you want to bring your own. There are a few more details to customize: the "Glorious Badge," which is a decorative badge that frames an LED indicator light in the upper right corner, the rotary knob, and the USB-C cable (you can grab one of Glorious' decorative coiled cables for $40 instead of the regular $50).

Finally, you can customize the feel and sound of your keyboard, to some extent, by customizing the switch plate material and the gasket modules. Glorious' barebones and pre-built GMMK 3s come with aluminum switch plates, but the Boardsmith also offers polycarbonate (flexible with deeper acoustics), FR4 (flexible and soft), and brass (rigid and dense) switch plate options. You can opt for firm or flexible gasket modules, so you can build your keyboard with as much (or as little) flex as you like.

For our review model, we went with a high-end build: wireless, full-size, full aluminum case, magnetic switches, and a brass switch plate. The aluminum case is hefty, with a matte finish and chamfered edges, and RGB light strips along the sides where the top and bottom cases meet. There's a half-inch bezel around the keys, making it a little larger than it absolutely needs to be — it measures 18.2 inches (462mm) wide by 6 inches (152mm) deep, and is 1.8 inches (44.5mm) thick at its thickest point (including keycaps). This is almost the exact same size as the full-size Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro, but the GMMK 3 doesn't have any extra macro or media keys (the BlackWidow V4 Pro has an extra column on the left side).

The bottom of the keyboard features Glorious' logo and eight small rubber anti-slip feet evenly spaced along the top and bottom. As configured, this keyboard is pretty hefty — 6.31 pounds (2,863g), so it shouldn't move around too much on your desk regardless of what you're using it for. The USB-C port is located in a center recess along the top of the board, along with a switch for toggling between PC/Mac modes and a switch for wireless connectivity.

Specifications

Typing and Gaming Experience on the GMMK 3

In the box, the keyboard comes with keycap and switch pullers, a screwdriver, samples of each switch (magnetic or standard, depending on board), extra gaskets, switch dampeners, and screws, and a USB-C to USB-A cable. If you get a custom-built board with keycaps, it will also come with the extra keycaps from that set.

Our review unit came with Glorious' Panda Standard HE switches, which are "tactile" magnetic switches with a "rounded tactile bump" and a light thocky sound. I was intrigued by these switches as thus far I've only seen linear magnetic switches — which makes sense, since magnetic switches actuate via disrupting an electromagnetic field, not by physical contact (like regular mechanical switches). So, a tactile or clicky magnetic switch will include some sort of manufactured bump (and/or click) in there.

The Panda Standard HE switches are factory-lubed and have an actuation force of 45g, 4mm of total travel, and a customizable actuation point (which is what you'll find in all magnetic switches. The magnetic switch technology also supports Rapid Trigger (sets the reset point to match the actuation point, so you can spam inputs without lifting your fingers), Dynamic Keystroke (lets you assign up to four functions at different actuation points — two on the downstroke and two on the upstroke), and Mod Tap (different functions based on whether you tap or hold down the key).

Despite these switches having a pretty typical 45g actuation force, I thought they felt a bit heavier than my other 45g switches, and I found the "rounded tactile bump" to be a little... manufactured-feeling. It definitely felt like it wasn't a full bump, and it made the keycaps wobble a little more than I would have preferred. The factory lubing on the switches is smooth enough, but the keys are a bit rattly regardless — and there's a lot of stabilizer rattle in the spacebar. Still, compared to other mainstream gaming keyboards, the GMMK 3 sounds pretty good.

Typing on the GMMK 3 is a decent experience, especially with tactile switches (even if they're not my favorite tactile switches). Glorious' keycaps have a Cherry profile, which is lower-profile than standard OEM keycaps, with sculpted rows and tops with a subtle dip. It's a popular, comfortable profile in mechanical keyboards, but it's not what you'll find in most mainstream gaming keyboards — gaming brands such as Razer, Logitech, and HyperX generally stick to standard OEM keycaps. While this isn't anywhere close to my favorite keyboard for typing, it's more satisfying than most mainstream gaming keyboards, which are terrible for typing. I will point out that the pre-built GMMK 3 keyboards come with an aluminum switch plate and firm gaskets, so it will be a very stiff typing experience. Our review model had a brass switch plate, which is stiff, but is somewhat offset by the flexible gaskets.

The GMMK 3 is better for gaming than it is for typing, but it doesn't particularly stand out against other magnetic switch keyboards. While it does have an 8,000 Hz polling rate, all this really seemed to do was sap the battery life fairly quickly (though I couldn't tell how quick, exactly, because the Glorious Core software is... not great), and not much else. That said, at the standard 1,000 Hz polling rate, the keyboard is as responsive as other mainstream gaming keyboards and it has the gamer-friendly magnetic switch features on top of that. Glorious' software is missing the ability to switch profiles automatically upon opening various games/programs — not that this is a necessary gaming feature, but it is one of the features that makes gaming-specific keyboards stand out against mechanical keyboards that can also be used for gaming.

Features and Software of the GMMK 3

The GMMK 3 is configurable using Glorious' Glorious Core software. Options will vary depending on your keyboard's configuration, but you can use Glorious Core to adjust polling rate, customize lighting, remap keys, and adjust actuation point and turn on Rapid Trigger (if you have magnetic switches). There's also a switch calibration feature, which Glorious recommends using to ensure switches are working after you swap in new switches (especially if you're swapping between mechanical and magnetic switches).

The software comes with 18 preset color effects, including a custom cycling spectrum mode called "Glorious Mode" and several single-color effects you can customize the color, speed, and brightness of. You can also create and layer your own custom lighting on a per-key basis, though the options are limited to color choice and a breathing effect. You can layer these effects over the preset options, though, for a more interesting lighting look (and frankly, anything much more complicated than this is probably not going to be something the majority of users bother with).

That said, Glorious Core is — unsurprisingly — sort of a mess. Not so much in terms of organization and usability, however — it's laid out as expected and is about as usable as any other gaming peripheral software. But I had a lot of issues with this software, once I downloaded it (I used the keyboard for a little while without downloading the software and had no issues). It was a lot of little things — the polling rate seemed to occasionally switch, the battery life indicator never dipped below 100%... ever, the keyboard lighting occasionally reset itself and/or stopped working until I turned the keyboard on and off, etc. While there's no peripheral software that I'm in love with, I can at least keep most on my PC while I'm using the product, but Glorious Core seems to cause more issues than it's worth.

Battery life and Wireless on the GMMK 3

The wireless GMMK 3 offers three forms of connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired (USB-C). It gets up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate over both wired and wireless connections, though as I mentioned earlier, this didn't seem to make much of a difference other than draining the battery quicker. A polling rate higher than 1,000 Hz (1ms latency) might make a difference in some speed-oriented games... but even then, it's often barely noticeable on a mouse (and a mouse is constantly moving, unlike a keyboard). Still, for those who are looking for a keyboard with an 8,000 Hz polling rate, this is one of the only options (alongside the Asus ROG Azoth Extreme).

Battery life on the GMMK 3 is not great. According to Glorious, it's rated for around 22 - 28 hours of battery life over 2.4GHz wireless and 19 - 26 hours over Bluetooth, depending on size. This is, presumably, with the backlighting off and the polling rate set to 1,000 Hz. Well, the $500 Azoth Extreme gets 92 hours of battery life with the OLED screen and backlighting turned on, and over 1,600 hours with the lighting turned off. Of course, the Azoth Extreme doesn't have magnetic switches (which do require power to actuate). Keychron's wireless Q1 HE, however, gets "up to 100 hours" with the back lighting turned off, which is still about five times the battery life of the GMMK 3.

The Bottom Line

The GMMK 3 is... interesting — it's built more like an enthusiast mechanical keyboard, but it's aimed at gamers. However, it doesn't really fully deliver on either side, and it's somehow more expensive than both — the cheapest pre-built GMMK 3 is $119, while the priciest is $409.99. The Boardsmith custom board builder is a nice idea for introducing gamers to the enthusiast side of mechanical keyboards, but there are other companies with similar tools (such as Mode's Loop TKL).

If you're looking for a gaming keyboard with all the gaming bells and whistles, mainstream gaming keyboards such as the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro or Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless offer a better gaming experience, and if you're looking for a magnetic switch gaming keyboard, there are several that feel and sound great, such as the Arbiter Polar 75 Pro and the Keychron Q1 HE.

Hyte has been positioning itself as one of the most creative computer peripherals companies, and the Hyte Keeb TKL is definitely... creative. The Keeb TKL is a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard with a gasket-mount design, a unique polycarbonate construction, and the most RGB that I have seen on a mechanical keyboard in a long time. The Keeb TKL comes with everything an enthusiast-tier plank should, including screw-in stabilizers and lubricated switches.

That said, it's not cheap — it retails for $180, which is close to what you'll pay for the best gaming keyboards. But the ultra-smooth switches and the surprisingly fantastic typing experience make it worth the premium price.

Specifications

Design of the Hyte Keeb TKL

The Hyte Keeb TKL is an enthusiast-grade mechanical keyboard with some gaming features, such as lightning-fast switches and a ton of RGB. I’m not personally a huge fan of RGB, but hey — it is kind of a vibe, especially with the Keeb TKL's unique "Crystal Bubble Polycarbonate Case." While polycarbonate is a pretty popular material for keyboard cases, I've never seen a keyboard case that's completely transparent.

The bubble case actually looks great, if you're into the aesthetic. My concern is that polycarbonate plastic turns yellow over time, especially if it's exposed to the sun. To prevent this, I would recommend covering this board while you're not using it (or using it in a windowless room).

Given the way this keyboard looks, my expectations for sound-dampening were low. Many keyboard companies talk about sound-dampening, but I rarely see it implemented well — and this keyboard doesn't look like your typical heavy aluminum sound-dampened keyboard. However, the Hyte Keep TKL is dampened perfectly: it features three layers of sound-dampening foam and a sand-blasted anodized aluminum weight to really get rid of any ping, and it works. The keyboard sounds surprisingly great.

Somewhere in between all those layers of foam is a 5-pin PCB that seats Durock V2 screw-in stabilizers and Hyte’s own Fluffy Lavender linear switches. According to Hyte, the switches and stabilizers come pre-lubed — but I was skeptical. However, I ended up eating my words, because I have never received a keyboard that was ready to go without needing any sort of tweaking, but the Keeb TKL might just be the first.

The Hyte Keeb TKL comes with a giant dual-sided knob, which can be reprogrammed in Hyte Nexus. By default, the left side of the knob adjusts volume and the right adjusts RGB brightness. There’s also a programmable button in the middle that's set to cycle through RGB modes by default. While I love a rotary knob on a keyboard, this knob on the Keeb feels a little cheap and has a significant amount of wobble. It works fine, but it seems like you might need to be careful with it.

The Keeb TKL comes with double-shot PBT keycaps in Hyte's HX OEM profile, which feels identical to traditional, non-Cherry-profile keycaps. These keycaps felt fine but didn't look great: the legends were actually pretty terrible on the Backspace, Tab, and Caps Lock keys. You can, of course, swap the keycaps, but then they won't match the media keys (which are not swappable).

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Hyte Keeb TKL

The Hyte Keeb TKL is unlike any mass-produced gaming keyboard that I have typed on in a long time, and the reason is the typing experience. It features Hyte's Fluffy Lavender switches — not to be confused with CannonKeys’ Lavender switches. The switches feature a 36g actuation force, which is a little lighter than the popular Cherry MX Red switches (which have a 45g actuation force).

Because the switches have such a light actuation force, I had to be mindful when resting my hands on the keyboard when I wasn't typing. However, I was able to adjust after only a couple of hours of using the Keeb TKL, and the only typos after that were my own fault.

The switches are beyond smooth. I simply cannot emphasize how buttery these switches are. This is a big plus for the Keeb TKL, because I HATE lubing switches — it's messy, time-consuming, and expensive (Krytox 205g0 is not a cheap lubricant), and it's just nice to have smooth switches right out of the box.

While the Hyte Keeb TKL is a gasket-mounted keyboard, it lacks the bounce that this mounting style typically comes with — I say usually because I've used a lot of gasket-mount keyboards that don't have that bounce, but it is the feeling people typically associate with gasket-mounting. It's a bit of a letdown that the Keeb TKL lacks bounce, but it still sounds and feels fantastic. There was zero case ping, the stabilizers were perfectly balanced, and every bottom-out feels soft and supported.

The Flappy Paddle media keys, however, are the polar opposite of the Fluffy Lavender switches — they're low-profile Blue switches, and I was not a fan. I found them to be mushy-feeling and pingy.

There was no better time to test the Keeb TKL's gaming capabilities than now, with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The Keeb TKL did fantastic in my gaming tests, which is what I expected. I primarily play the zombies mode, which forces you to be quick, and the Fluffy Lavender switches were perfect for that: I was able to strafe and dive around hordes of zombies (until round 37, when I was finally taken down by the hoard).

Software of the Hyte Keeb TKL

It’s been a while since I’ve used Hyte’s Nexus software and — like I said when I reviewed the Y70 Touch — it has a lot to offer.

I found it funny (but perhaps a little bit genius) that Hyte lists its other products in its software, such as its water coolers, fans, and cases. It's almost like an ad, but it's not too in-your-face about it.

Key remapping on the Keeb TKL is very similar to the popular open source VIA software most higher-end enthusiast mechanical keyboards use. It seems like Hyte took notes from enthusiasts not only while designing the keyboard, but also while designing the software.

I looked around and around for quite a while, but unfortunately the Hyte Keeb TKL does not have per-key RGB. While this doesn't affect me much, it will definitely be a turn-off for those who are looking for a highly-customizable light show. Nexus does have a lot of other RGB customization options, including an audio visualizer option (which I always like), but it's not quite per-key RGB.

That said, after tinkering with the RGB for long periods of time, it started to look a bit psychedelic — so maybe you don't really need per-key RGB after all.

Bottom Line

Overall, I really liked the Hyte Keeb TKL. I've reviewed a lot of Hyte's cases, so I was excited when I heard the company was expanding into keyboards, and the Keeb TKL didn't disappoint.

Despite the lackluster Flappy Paddle media keys and the lack of per-key RGB, the Keeb TKL is an excellent keyboard for both typing and gaming. Instead of purchasing a haul of mechanical keyboards from a third-party supplier and rebranding it, Hyte designed its own gasket-mounted mechanical keyboard with in-house switches, and the result is very impressive. While it is $180, which is on the pricier side, it's a unique-looking mechanical keyboard with excellent sound-dampening, ultra-smooth switches, and an enthusiast-grade typing experience — which is pretty crazy for less than $200.

If you're looking for something a little more aimed at gamers, the similarly-priced Arbiter Studio Polar 75 Pro also sounds and feels great, offers an enthusiast-grade typing experience, and has magnetic Hall Effect switches, which allows for features such as "Snap Tap" (SOCD) and Rapid Trigger.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Today's deal features a premium gaming keyboard from Razer that features their own-brand analog optical switches on a full-sized keyboard layout. The Razer Huntsman V2 Analog is still on sale at Razer for a hefty $249 price tag, but, thankfully that price is reduced to just $79 in today's deal.

Pick up a Razer Huntsman V2 Analog gaming keyboard for just $79 at Woot. As I mentioned above, the Huntsman V2 Analog is available directly from Razer for $249, but I have also seen the keyboard on sale at Walmart for $149. Today's deal sees those prices slashed to just $79 which is such a great price for a high-spec gaming keeb. Just check our review of the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog for our opinion on this once-expensive top-tier Razer keyboard.

In our review we really liked the typing experience of the Huntsman V2 and also how comfortable the padded magnetic wrist rest was. The keyboard also includes handy and intuitive media controls and the Razer analog optical switches offer very customizable settings for controlling the actuation point/points for gaming and general typing. There were some big cons for this keyboard too though and that was primarily the price, at $249 it was a pretty expensive purchase.

Razer's Huntsman V2 Analog features many of the specs you would expect from a premium keeb, including sound-dampening foam, per-key Chroma RGB, 1 x USB 3.0 passthrough port, doubleshot PBT keycaps, a luxurious magnetic wrist rest, and, of course, Razer's optical-mechanical switches, which use light sensors to detect key input. It's a pricey keyboard that's currently available for a snip of its original MSRP.

If Razer products are your thing, take a look at our Razer Coupon Codes for December 2024, and you might be able to snag a tidy discount.

The best gaming keyboard isn't necessarily objective — keyboards are extremely subjective, and many keyboard manufacturers cater to the individual by offering different sizes and changing up the feel and sound of a typing experience through various switch types. There’s something for everyone, taste-wise, and the Hexgears' Immersion A3 TKL is laser-focused toward those who love low-profile keyboards and switches.

With plenty of bright, gamer-ready RGB lighting and a small TFT screen, the Immersion A3 TKL is a low-profile keyboard that wouldn’t look out of place in a gaming setup but is also sleek and stylish enough to fit in a more traditional setting. It’s slim and it looks good, but I found myself comparing the design to the Logitech G915 TKL — as it looks almost identical from above, but with a small screen instead of a media key-roller.

The Immersion A3 TKL is thin and it doesn’t take up too much desk space, thanks to its compact TKL layout. It's also wireless and versatile, connecting to multiple devices easily via 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth (up to three connections), or wired via a 5.9-foot (1.8m) USB-A to USB-C cable. It's also more budget-friendly than many low-profile gaming keyboards, with a retail price of $159.

Design and Construction of the Immersion A3 TKL

The Immersion A3 TKL is very thin, measuring only 0.59 inches (15mm) thick from the base to the top plate at its thickest point. If we include the TFT screen, which is the highest part of the keyboard, the thickness measures 1.22 inches (31mm) — and that’s due to the protrusion of the selector switch. The Immersion A3 TKL measures 14.1 inches (360mm) long by 5.7 inches (146mm) wide. It's surprisingly heavy for such a thin keyboard, weighing 1.67 pounds (762g), thanks in large part to its metal top plate and battery.

The bottom of the Immersion A3 TKL's chassis is plastic, with three rubber pads at the front to keep it from slipping while you type, and two flip-out feet at the back that let you adjust the keyboard's angle. The plastic is thick, and combined with the internal foam, manages to slightly deaden the sound of the keyboard. The keyboard has a brushed aluminum top plate that fits very well to the bottom chassis, with no gaps. The top plate is thick enough that it takes any flex out of the keyboard while you're typing, and it gives the Immersion A3 TKL a classy finish.

The Immersion A3 TKL has a hot-swappable PCB, but the caveat is that there aren't too many low-profile switches to choose from (and the same goes for low-profile keycaps). Speaking of the keycaps, they're somewhat of a mixed bag. They're made of polycarbonate and they're ridiculously smooth, with good shine-through for the keyboard's backlighting, but wow do they pick up fingerprints and smudges easily.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Immersion A3 TKL

You can buy the Immersion A3 TKL with your choice of three different switches: Kailh White Rain (silent, linear), Kailh Black Cloud (tactile), or Kailh Hide Mountain (clicky). All of these switches are low-profile and come pre-lubed, with a total travel distance of 2.8mm. The linear (White Rain) and clicky (Hide Mountain) switches have an actuation force of 50g and an actuation point of 1.2mm, while the tactile (Black Cloud) switches have a slightly lighter actuation force of 45g, and an actuation point of 1.6mm. Actuation force/points aside, the three switches are very similar in construction.

Of the three switch options for the Immersion A3 TKL, I preferred the silent, linear Kailh White Rain switches — especially for gaming. I also liked the tactile switches for typing, and the clicky switches were my least favorite option. Part of this was definitely personal preference: the clicky switches were perfectly acceptable for both gaming and typing, but I found them to be far too noisy for a low-profile switch, and the sound seemed to bounce off the keyboard. Some people enjoy the clicky aural experience, but if you share an office space or gaming area this can also annoy those around you.

The silent linear switches were, indeed, pleasantly silent — even during furious gaming sessions. The low-profile keycaps and switches made for a short actuation height, and even soft key presses were enough to register actuation. The keyboard was incredibly responsive and worked well for a mix of games, from slower-paced MMOs (World of Warcraft) to faster, more intense first-person shooters (Rainbow Six Siege) and MOBAs (Heroes of the Storm). The keyboard gets a full 1,000 Hz polling rate when it's connected via cable, and the N-key rollover worked flawlessly.

The keycaps picked up the faintest hint of skin oils almost instantly — but if you can look past the smudging, these were some of the smoothest keycaps I've ever used. They felt exceptionally good to use in both gaming and typing, and they gave the Immersion A3 TKL a distinct tangible experience. They fit snugly together on the keyboard, allowing just the right amount of light to creep through the gaps and shine through the actual caps. This made for a fantastic RGB experience — the lighting modes and patterns aren't anything new, but the lighting is bright, with rich colors, and can be configured using Hexgear's HexDrive software suite.

Features and Software of the Immersion A3 TKL

The Immersion A3 TKL features three connectivity options: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.3 (up to three simultaneous devices), and wired (USB-A to USB-C). You can easily switch between Bluetooth connections by touching a button, and all of the connectivity buttons are prominently positioned at the top of the keyboard.

One of the first things you'll notice on the Immersion A3 TKL is its small TFT screen with its silver selector switch. I found this screen to be a bit useless, however. All it does is give you access to your lighting settings and some pre-loaded RGB profiles, and it also displays the time. You can, if you wish, display a picture or an animated GIF on this screen, but you'll have to upload this using HexGear's HexDrive software and you'll need to keep it within a strict 141-frame limit. It also uses up four additional buttons on the keyboard, which could have been dedicated media keys or macro keys — and these can't be reassigned in the HexDrive software.

For the best gaming experience you should use the Immersion A3 TKL over a wired connection. But if you don't mind a little latency in your gaming — or if you're just using the keyboard for typing, then the 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connections should be fine. The Immersion A3 TKL has a 5,800 mAh battery that charges in around three hours and offers up to 50 hours of gaming (with the lighting turned on). If you turn off the keyboard's lighting and disable the TFT screen, you'll get around twice that.

You can use the HexDrive software to reassign keys, record macros, change and customize the keyboard's RGB lighting, upload images or GIFs to the TFT screen, and tweak key response time and the keyboard's sleep settings. It's a compact piece of software, and most of its options are aimed at customizing the RGB lighting. I found it to be a little unstable — it crashed regularly when I tried to upload or alter picture settings on the TFT screen — but it's not the worst peripheral software experience I've had (that honor belongs to Asus' Armoury Crate and Corsair's iCue). Also, it should be noted that we also had trouble uploading images to the OLED screen on Asus' $500 Azoth Extreme, so maybe screens just aren't meant to be on keyboards.

The Bottom Line

After using the Hexgears Immersion A3 TKL for a while, I can say that I like it a lot more now than I did when I first pulled it out of the box. The typing experience on this keyboard — especially the way the keycaps feel — is very good, and it also looks great with its bright, vibrant RGB. This keyboard looks fantastic in a dark room, and there are so many pre-made lighting profiles to choose from — and you can even customize it with your own effects or sync it with audio for a visualizer effect.

The Immersion A3 TKL looks very similar to Logitech’s G915 TKL, but that’s not a bad thing — the G915 TKL is an attractive, albeit expensive, keyboard low-profile wireless keyboard. You can still pick up the Logitech G915 X Lightspeed TKL for $199, while the Hexgear Immersion A3 TKL will only set you back $159.

Several keyboards have incorporated small screens, including Asus' ROG Azoth Extreme and SteelSeries' Apex Pro TKL, both of which have OLED displays. So the Immersion A3 TKL's lower-resolution TFT screen feels a little outdated, especially since it doesn't offer any real functionality apart from image/GIF display, and it uses up precious keyboard button space that could have been better utilized as media keys or other functional buttons. I personally don’t like the way the screen looks, either: it protrudes too much and looks out of place, ruining the overall aesthetic. But screen aside, this is a solid low-profile wireless keyboard with multiple connectivity and switch options, a good typing experience, and mid-range price.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Another day, another magnetic gaming keyboard. But Arbiter Studio's latest release — the KITSUNE Polar 75 Pro — is not just any magnetic gaming keyboard. It's an amazing magnetic gaming keyboard that sounds fantastic, feels great, and has features like "Snap Tap" (SOCD), which is, some have argued, so good in certain games that it's basically cheating. 

The Polar 75 Pro is a wired mechanical gaming keyboard with magnetic Hall Effect switches (Arbiter-exclusive Fuji Pro), a new PCB design that separates the LEDs from the Hall sensors to deliver a "2x boost in performance by lowering input latency and increasing Rapid Trigger accuracy," and high-quality dye-sub PBT keycaps in Arbiter's own AOP profile. It's a great-sounding, great-feeling keyboard for both gaming and typing, and it's surprisingly budget-friendly: $165 alone or $175 bundled with a memory foam wristrest.

Design and Construction of the Polar 75 Pro

Although the KITSUNE Polar 75 Pro doesn't immediately look like it deviates too much from the brand's Polar 65, we reviewed earlier this year, the keyboard actually has quite a few design tweaks — it's not just a 75-percent version of the Polar 65. The Polar 75 Pro comes in one color: black, with white keycaps (and black accent keys). Like the Polar 65, the Polar 75 Pro sports a CNC aluminum frame with a black matte anodized finish over a semi-translucent plastic case.

The Polar 75 Pro comes with dye-sub PBT keycaps in the brand's new AOP (Arbiter Original Profile) profile, which is lower overall, and has more aggressively-sculpted rows, than the KOP profile keycaps seen on the Polar 65. The AOP keycaps also have a wider surface area and 1.5mm-thick walls for an even more premium feel. The keycaps are white with black printed legends, and the keyboard comes with two black accent keys (Enter and Esc) installed. The box includes three extra keycaps: white Enter and Escape keys for those who don't like the accent key aesthetic, and an alternate Spacebar with a more understated geometric design (vs. the default Spacebar's oversized '75').

The Polar 75 Pro, as its name suggests, features a 75-percent layout — which is like a slightly more compact TKL. The keyboard has all alphanumeric keys, a full function row (separated into four-key groups for convenience), a row of four navigation keys (Home, Delete, PgUp, and PgDn), and a rotary knob. The knob is small, notched, clickable, and has the same black matte anodized finish as the rest of the top case. It's a standard volume/mute knob, and is not programmable.

It's pretty compact even for a 75-percent layout, measuring 12.4 inches (315mm) wide by 5.24 inches (133.15mm) deep. The back of the keyboard, including keycaps, is 1.6 inches (40.85mm) thick, while the front is 1.16 inches (29.38mm); the keyboard sits at a fairly standard five-degree angle and does not come with any way to adjust that angle.

The front of the Polar 75 Pro is lower than that of the Polar 65 (1.22 inches / 31mm), but most users could still probably benefit from a wristrest. For an extra $10 ($175), Arbiter Studio will bundle a cloth-covered cooling gel-infused memory foam wristrest with the keyboard; you can also purchase the wristrest separately for $15.

The bottom of the Polar 75 Pro is made of semi-translucent plastic and has two rubber strips that run the full length of the keyboard to help keep it stable when you're aggressively gaming (or typing). These probably aren't all that necessary, however, as the keyboard is pretty sturdily-built with its aluminum frame — it weighs 2.72 pounds (1,236g), which is decently hefty (though not nearly as heavy as something like the 4.28lb Meletrix Boog75).

The Polar 75 Pro comes with a handful of accessories: a 5.9-foot (1.8m) detachable, braided USB-C to USB-A cable, a dual keycap/switch puller, and three alternate keycaps. The keyboard has one USB-C port for connectivity, located along the top on the left side.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Polar 75 Pro

The Polar 75 Pro is different from the Polar 65 on the inside as well as the outside. It sports a new PCB design, which has its hall sensors separated from the LEDs. According to the company, this lowers input latency and increases rapid trigger accuracy. It also comes with new switches — "next-gen" Fuji Pro magnetic switches.

The Fuji Pro magnetic switches have similar specs to the Fuji switches we saw on the Polar 65: linear, with an initial force of 36g and an end force of 60g, an actuation range of 0.1 - 3.8mm, and 4mm of total travel. The Fuji Pro switches have a walled stem design to help eliminate stem wobble and have redesigned housing that offers "superior light guide and diffusion" for "stunning RGB lighting effects." They're also rated for 150 million keypresses instead of 100 million. I assume these are also custom-built for the brand by Gateron, even if the housing now says "Fuji" instead of "Gateron." Of course, the Polar 75 Pro is also hot-swappable, but as the magnetic switch market is a little wild right now, don't expect to find a ton of compatible switches.

Typing on the Polar 75 Pro is a very, very satisfying experience. The Polar 65 was one of the best-sounding out-of-the-box keyboard we've ever tested, and the Polar 75 Pro manages to sound — and feel — even better.

This is partly thanks to the switches, which are factory-lubed and stable, offering a consistent, linear keypress with no tactile bump or audible click. I'm not normally a big fan of linear switches for typing, but the smoothness of the Fuji Pro switches combined with the satisfying thockiness of the keyboard is fantastic. The switches aren't too different from the first gen, however: stem wobble wasn't a big issue on the Polar 65, and so the improvements aren't all that noticeable.

Inside its case, the Polar 75 Pro has two layers of dampening silicone, which do a great job of absorbing sound and minimizing case ping. The screw-in stabilizers are decent — you can still hear some rattle in the Spacebar and in some of the larger keys, but, like the Polar 65, the Polar 75 Pro is one of the best-sounding prebuilt keyboards I've tested right out of the box. The new keycaps also play a part in the typing experience — the lower profile is much more comfortable, and the wider, slightly more curved tops seem to hit my sweet spot for speed and accuracy.

Of course, magnetic switches are all the rage for gamers, not typists. The Polar 75 Pro is also an excellent gaming companion, though most of the magnetic switch features are going to be most useful for eSports and first-person shooters (rather than MOBAs, MMORPGs, and non-shooting single-player games). Like other magnetic switch keyboards, the Polar 75 Pro features adjustable actuation (0.1 - 3.8mm, in 0.1mm increments) which can be set per-key, as well as Rapid Trigger support for when you need to be able to press keys again the instant you stop pressing them.

The keyboard also supports Super Tap (SOCD), which lets the keyboard take the input of the last-pressed key — and only the last-pressed key. In other words, if you press A to go left and then press D to strafe right, you won't need to worry about potentially going nowhere if your keypresses overlap — the keyboard will only take the last-pressed key, so it's great for games like CS:GO (and it borders on what many might consider to be cheating — I'll leave those judgments up to you guys, though). This feature isn't unique to Arbiter Studio, however — Razer's Snap Tap and Wooting's Rappy Snappy features are similar.

Features and Software of the Polar 75 Pro

The Polar 75 Pro is programmable via Arbiter Studio's online Arbiter Web App. The app has improved a lot since we last took a look at it, but that's not really saying much — when we last played around with it in February, you couldn't even remap keys (but now you can). The app has three sections: for adjusting the magnetic switch settings, changing the RGB backlighting, and remapping keys.

The magnetic switch settings are, for the most part, fairly standard: You can set per-key actuation level (between 0.1 and 3.8mm) and you can turn on and adjust Rapid Trigger, which dynamically adjusts the reset point of a key to match its actuation point. This lets you trigger another keystroke immediately upon releasing a key, instead of having to wait for it to travel past a fixed reset point. You can also turn on Super Tap, which, when enabled, causes the keyboard to only accept the last-pressed key's input.

The Polar 75 Pro's RGB backlighting is nice and bright — bright enough that it's easily visible, even without shine-through keycaps. It's not per-key, however, and you're limited to one of the 10 preset effects in the Arbiter Web App.

You can use the Arbiter Web App to remap keys — all of the primary layer and most of the secondary layer can be remapped. Remapping is still somewhat limited, however — you can only remap keys to perform keyboard, mouse, and a handful of media functions. There's no macro recorder.

The Polar 75 Pro has room for up to three onboard profiles, which you can set up in the Web App and switch between using keyboard shortcuts.

The Bottom Line

Arbiter Studio's first keyboard, the Polar 65, was very impressive — and this second iteration makes almost all of the right improvements: a bigger, more convenient layout (who's using 60- and 65-percent keyboards? Really?!), better switches and keycaps, and an app that works... slightly better. If Arbiter Studio makes a full-size keyboard and adds macro recording to its app (or even on-the-fly macro recording to the hardware?), I'll have found my holy grail. Until then, the Polar 75 Pro is my new favorite. (Don't get me wrong, I also loved the 75-percent Keychron Q1 HE, and I thought the Meletrix Boog75 sounded fantastic out of the box, too. But both of those keyboards are over $200, while the Polar 75 Pro is just $165.)

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

After years of aggressive styling and RGB everything, peripheral and component companies seem to be settling on wood accents as the retro-inspired style of the moment. And as a gamer of a certain age, I couldn't be happier about it. The success of Fractal's North case seems to have kick-started the trend, and now Keychron is here with a keyboard that matches its mid-century looks quite nicely.

But the Keychron K2 HE Special Edition is much more than a (very) pretty keyboard. Its compact 75-percent layout and double-shot OSA keycaps hide Gateron Double-Rail magnetic switches, which let you customize their actuation points in 0.1mm increments and assign multiple actions to a single key, based on travel depth. For gamers who love fine-tuning features, these magnetic (also known as Hall Effect) switches are excellent. And despite being linear, they're pre-lubed and designed for stability, helping Keychron's K2 HE feel as premium and pleasing as it looks.

Keychron will launch its K2 HE models on Kickstarter first at a $5 discount starting today. Or you can wait for full production and pick one up from Keychron directly beginning in October, starting at $130.

Design of the Keychron K2 HE

Keychron sent us the Special Edition of the K2 HE in white, but the company will offer up multiple variants. The Special Edition versions will be offered in black or white ($135 via Kickstarter or $140 in October), with rounded OSA keycaps that aren't shine-through (limiting the RGB lighting that can escape between the keys), with metal top and bottom frame pieces, and solid-wood sides.

It's a specific look that isn't for everyone, but I think this is the prettiest keyboard I've ever tested. Even if I'm a little afraid of what the white keycaps might look like after several months of daily use. Personally, I'd probably opt for the black model.

For those who don't dig the wood look and prefer brighter RGB lighting, the K2 HE Standard Edition ($125 via Kickstarter or $130 starting in October) features shine-through keycaps with an OEM profile, and keeps the metal frame that helps add to the premium feel. That said, the core of the keyboard's chassis is plastic. With the wooden side panels removed from our Special Edition review unit, the top and bottom metal rails slide right off, revealing a keyboard that looks quite similar to a white version of the much cheaper Keychron K2.

Then again, I'm sure the plastic main body improves wireless signals for the 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connection modes. Wired connectivity is of course also supported. And the company includes a decent braided cable in the box, along with a hex wrench for taking off the wood side panels and a small screwdriver for getting access to the interior of the keyboard.

There are also extra keycaps for Windows or Mac, a keycap / switch puller, and an extender for the RF dongle included. I primarily used the keyboard with the dongle plugged into one of the top ports of my PC case (as well as occasionally over Bluetooth with my laptop) and never had any issues with connectivity.

There are a pair of two-level flip-up feet on the bottom for adjusting the keyboard's rear height. And while I know you generally shouldn't need to raise the angle of the keys while sitting at your desk, I did prefer typing with the lower of the two feet levels flipped up, lifting the back of the keyboard up just a bit.

The keyboard also has rubber pads to keep it stable on your desk. Its 2.13-pound weight also helps there, and doesn't feel unnecessarily heavy.

As with previous K2 variants, almost all of the physical controls and connections live on the left edge. There you'll find the USB-C port for charging or wired use and two switches – one for Windows / Android or Mac connectivity and the other for 2.4GHz, wired, or Bluetooth modes.

Keychron claims that you'll get up to 72 hours of run time with the backlight on and 240 hours with it off, using the 4000 MAh battery. I used the keyboard for work and gaming for nearly two weeks with the backlighting on about 20% of the time (mostly at night while gaming), and never had to charge it.

There is technically one more button, which I discovered while taking a look at the stabilizers. Clearly a bit of foam has been cut away to provide access to a reset switch, which you might need should the keyboard ever lock up or otherwise become unstable. But in my time testing it, our review unit never had any performance issues.

The stabilizers are of the screw-in variety, mounted on the PCB (a liberal amount of glue was also used on our review unit), and they keep the bigger keys from being wobbly. The smaller keys also feel smooth and stable, thanks to the two plastic rails of Gateron's Double-Rail switches, which seem to hold the top of the switch in place horizontally as you press it down.

I generally strongly prefer tactile (usually clicky) switches for typing, but the linear switches that Keychron uses in this keyboard are about the smoothest I've ever used. In fact, the lubed switches, combined with the sound-dampening foam and stabilizers, deliver a feel and sound that I found myself preferring over the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless — even after I added tactile Holy Panda X switches and better keycaps to the Corsair keyboard.

It's good, though, that the Gateron switches in the K2 HE feel very nice. Because while the keyboard is hot-swappable, it's designed for magnetic switches — meaning it doesn't support the traditional mechanical switches that dominate the market. In fact, it's not even compatible with all of Gateron's HE switches — only the dual-rail ones. As of this writing, the company has two dual-rail HE switches, and both are linear. It may be anathema to most serious gamers, but the clicky, tactile switch fan in me is sad that I can't drop something tactile and noisy into this otherwise excellent keyboard.

Specs

Software for the Keychron K2 HE

Apart from its pleasant switches and gorgeous aesthetics, I also found the software for the K2 HE refreshing. Instead of some bulky, confusing, crash-prone program that's designed to work with 100 products (and generally leads to 100 or so curses), Keychron uses a web app (https://launcher.keychron.com/) for the K2 HE, which is where you'll assign keys, control the RGB lighting, record macros, and adjust and assign things to the magnetic switches.

I had to plug the keyboard into my system with a USB cable to get the Launcher to recognize the keyboard, but other than that, the process of using the web app worked pretty much as I expected.

You get three locally stored profiles, and you can adjust the switch actuation in 0.1mm increments.The function row has media controls, but there's no knob — and as a result, I often found myself trying to mash the volume down when jumping into a game after playing some music. So I clicked the tab for media controls and assigned the PgUp / PgDn keys to volume control with a few clicks. There was no need to hit a save button or something similar, and the keys remained mapped to volume control across multiple devices.

There are some limitations, though. At one point I had the idea of trying to map a light press of the PgUp button to volume up and a full press to volume down. But it turns out that while you can pretty easily assign different actions to different actuation levels on the same key, the feature appears to be limited to controls from standard buttons or macros, and doesn't work with media controls.

While you can cycle through several patterns via the key lighting key in the upper-right corner of the keyboard, the Launcher is also where you'll need to go for finer color controls, like choosing between single static colors. I quickly grew tired of the many blinking rainbow presets, and eventually settled on an orange hue that, when dim, worked well with the light brown of the rosewood and the Escape and Enter accent keys.

Note that, at least on the Special Edition models, the RGB glow is held back by the solid keycaps. If lighting is important to you, you might want to consider the Standard Edition model, which uses shine-through caps to give it a more traditional gaming keyboard look.

Gaming and typing on the Keychron K2 HE

I do a fair bit of PC gaming, but I stick mostly to strategy games and single-player FPS titles, so I'm not the best person to take full advantage of the K2 HE's magnetic switches. Still, I used the keyboard during several rounds of Dome Keeper and Cataclismo, and found it an excellent companion that felt comfortable and familiar. That's likely in part because I used the original Keychron K2 as my daily driver for a couple of years, and 75-percent layouts are my favorite for both gaming and typing. But again, both in terms of switch feel and typing sound, this is the nicest 75-percenter I've used. I also like Corsair's K65 Plus Wireless, but the K2 HE just sounds and feels more substantial (and, yes, thocky). The Corsair keyboard also had more wobble on their stabilizers, but the difference there isn't drastic. I mainly found myself missing the nice metal knob on the K65.

Surprisingly, I also found myself wanting to use the K2 HE for work, even though it doesn't have tactile switches. I've been using the 8bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard in recent months, and I like its clicky tactile Kailh Box White v2 switches and retro NES-themed shell. But compared to the Keychron K2 HE, it feels more like a kid's toy (which it is, in fairness, designed to mimic), with its creaking and hollow-feeling plastic shell and comparatively bulky frame.

The Keychron also has a retro look, but it feels and sounds so much more premium. And I'm not sure if it's the operation force of the switch, their pre-lubed components, or the stability of the dual-rail system (perhaps a combination of all three), but I don't think I once found myself double-pressing letters like I usually do when I'm typing with linear switches. These are the nicest linear switches I've used for both gaming and typing – and Gateron deserves a lot of credit for that feat.

Bottom Line

If all you're after is an affordable wireless 75-percent magnetic keyboard, there are certainly more affordable options than the $130 Keychron K2 HE. Gamakay offers its TK75 HE for around $90, and it also includes a knob, which Keychron's models lack. But you won't get Keychron's slick web app for customization and, while I haven't tried them, I highly doubt Gamakay's switches feel anywhere near as nice as the surprisingly smooth and stable Gateron Double-Rail switches in Keychron K2 HE. Seriously, they feel so good that I am actually rethinking my decade-long love for tactile switches.

The K2 He Special Edition model we tested costs $10 more at $140 (or $135 if you pick it up through Kickstarter), but I'd argue it offers a lot more for that price. You get the same great switches and software, plus wood side panels that make the keyboard look much more distinctive and OSA keycaps that feel more premium than the more typical OEM shine-through keycaps on the standard model. If you can live without a knob and you like the recent trend of wood-accented tech, the K2 HE Special Edition is a stunning addition to your desk setup. And if all that sounds appealing to you and you're a gamer who loves the idea of extremely tweakable Hall Effect switches, this keyboard should probably be your next tech purchase. It combines the latest switch tech with the latest in PC peripheral design trends at a price that, while certainly not cheap, seems reasonable for everything Keychron delivers.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

The older you get the more nostalgic you can be towards the "good old days" or even your childhood memories - especially when it comes to your first experiences with gaming, whether it's a handheld Nintendo Donkey Kong Game And Watch, Gameboy, Commodore 64, Famicom/NES, or PlayStation. Well, today's deal features a retro mechanical keyboard from 8BitDo that looks like a time traveler has brought it back from the 80s, with a color scheme that replicates the famous colors of the Nintendo Famicom entertainment system.

You can find today's awesome deal on the 8Bitdo retro mechanical keyboard at Woot for $59, which is the all-time lowest price that it's been available for sale. The board is a TKL layout with the number pad removed. There are 87 keys, with perfectly matched Nintendo Famicom colored dye-sub PBT keycaps giving that awesome retro aesthetic. 

Included with this keyboard is a unique dual super-button peripheral addon that's also programmable and can be mapped to any key or shortcut you desire - maybe a push-to-talk button for example. The same goes for the keyboard, where you can use 8BitDo's Ultimate Software V2 for all your custom keyboard mapping and macros.

With three modes of connectivity (wired cable, Bluetooth, or 2.4GHz wireless) the 8BitDo Fami Edition is compatible with almost any situation you would want this mechanical gaming keyboard for. Perfect for both typing and gaming, this keyboard uses Kailh box white V2 switches on a hot-swappable PCB.

Asus' previous ROG Azoth was already pretty extreme with its impressive build, fantastic typing experience, and nod to keyboard enthusiasts and customizers. While it's one of my favorite keyboards, it's not currently on our best gaming keyboards list because, at $250, it's just a little too pricey. 

The Asus ROG Azoth Extreme is even more... extreme, somehow. We first saw this premium version of Asus' already-premium gaming keyboard at Computex 2024, though we didn't get to spend much time with it in Taiwan. The Azoth Extreme manages to improve on just about everything in the original Azoth, with a full aluminum alloy chassis, a carbon fiber positioning plate, an adjustable gasket mount design, and refinements to sound dampening and stabilizers. Its OLED screen is slightly smaller, but is full color and supports touch gestures, and instead of coming with a DIY lubing kit, it comes with a wrist rest and two sets of magnetic metal feet. 

The one thing Asus didn't improve on, however, was the original Azoth's price. The original Azoth was already pretty expensive at $250, and the Azoth Extreme is, understandably, more expensive. Twice as expensive, in fact. That's right, the Azoth Extreme will set you back a whopping $500, which is, frankly, an insane amount to pay for a mainstream gaming keyboard. But maybe that's Asus' bid — that the Azoth Extreme isn't just a mainstream gaming keyboard.

Design and Construction of the ROG Azoth Extreme

Everything about the ROG Azoth Extreme is extreme, including the packaging. I usually don't pay too much attention to packaging (I'm constantly battling a mountain of boxes), but the Azoth Extreme comes in a premium multi-level cardboard box that opens smoothly and weighs nearly 3 pounds by itself. Unboxing the Azoth Extreme definitely felt like it was designed to be an experience — or, well, more of an experience than unboxing most mainstream gaming keyboards.

The Azoth Extreme is not a particularly unique-looking keyboard, especially compared to models you'll find from smaller, boutique, enthusiast keyboard makers — but it does look and feel like a premium product. It has a 75-percent layout, which means it doesn't have a 10-key numberpad and it has a four-key navigation line instead of the six-key navigation cluster found on TKLs. The keyboard features a full aluminum alloy chassis in dark gunmetal gray, with some added detail in a bladed metal "buckle" that wraps around the sides and top of the keyboard. It has black doubleshot PBT keycaps with shine-through legends, and a color 1.4-inch OLED screen with a three-way control knob and button in the upper-right corner.

It looks a lot like the original Azoth, with some minor differences. The Azoth Extreme's top plate is a darker gray, and its OLED screen is a little smaller — Asus says it went with a smaller screen so it could partition the function row for a better typing experience. The Azoth Extreme's OLED screen also supports touch gestures: Swiping side to side scrolls through different display modes, while swiping up and down scrolls through each display modes' different options. Double-tapping brings up a status icon overlay that shows things like current profile, connectivity, and battery life.

The Azoth Extreme is a little larger than the Azoth (mostly due to the bladed metal buckle), measuring 13.07 inches (332mm) wide by 5.47 inches (139mm) deep, and 1.57 inches (40mm) high. It's also about a half a pound heavier — 3.22 pounds (1,460g) versus the original Azoth's 2.61 pounds (1,186g), but that makes sense as the original Azoth has an aluminum top plate and a plastic chassis.

Unlike its non-extreme counterpart, the Azoth Extreme comes with its own wrist rest — a solid piece of silicone with an aluminum alloy base that sits flush against the keyboard. The wrist rest has a soft-touch matte rubbery finish with Asus' ROG eye logo etched into its surface. I don't think silicone makes for the most premium-looking wrist rest, but it's comfortable. It also fits the keyboard, and it's not going anywhere thanks to the excessive number of rubber feet on its base.

The bottom of the keyboard has a decorative metal cutout pattern (with the same bladed pattern as the buckle) and four tiny rubber feet. The center features a removable mirrored backplate, which hides storage for the keyboard's USB-A dongle and the adjustable gasket switch. There are also two round cutouts for the keyboard's magnetic feet — it comes with two sets that let you adjust the keyboard's typing angle from the standard 5 degrees to 9 and 11 degrees. The feet are a nice touch — most metal keyboards don't come with any way to adjust the typing angle (whether you should be adjusting your keyboard's typing angle is a different story). I don't adjust my keyboard's typing angle but the feet are so nice I kind of wish I had a reason to use them.

The Azoth Extreme comes with several accessories, including the silicone wrist rest and magnetic feet. It doesn't come with the DIY lubing station that the original Azoth came with, because Asus decided a wrist rest was a more valuable accessory for most users (probably true). As far as customization goes, it comes with a keycap puller and a switch puller for hot-swapping switches, as well as a couple of extra switches and extra silicone pins for if you want to open up the keyboard. For connectivity, it comes with a 6.5-foot (2m) braided USB-C to USB-A cable, a USB extender, and Asus' ROG Polling Rate Booster, plus the 2.4GHz USB-A dongle.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the ROG Azoth Extreme

The ROG Azoth Extreme comes with Asus' own switches — ROG NX Snow ("refined linear") or ROG NX Storm ("refined clicky"). Our review unit came with ROG NX Snow switches, which have an actuation point of 1.8mm, an initial force of 40g, and a total force of 53g. The Azoth Extreme also has a hot-swappable PCB, so you can swap in any mechanical switches you like. While hot-swappability is always a nice feature to have, it's not quite as valuable in a keyboard that retails for $500 — if you're going to spend that much on a prebuilt keyboard, I think it's fair to expect to love the switches it comes with.

Typing on the Azoth Extreme feels and sounds very, very good. I expected nothing less — the original Azoth offered an impressive typing experience, thanks to its gasket mount design and three layers of sound-dampening material. The Azoth Extreme also has a gasket mount design and three layers of sound-dampening material (two layers of Poron foam and a silicone pad), as well as a carbon fiber positioning plate that Asus says provides a "crisp typing sensation" while offering "excellent shock absorption." And that's not wrong: the Azoth Extreme does offer up a very crisp typing sensation with almost no case ping. 

The keyboard comes with doubleshot PBT keycaps, which have curved, textured tops and a "mid-height" profile that's lower than the traditional OEM profile you'll find on most mainstream gaming keyboards. They're fairly comfortable, and they do feel slightly more premium than the keycaps on the original Azoth, but they're not otherwise particularly noteworthy. 

Asus has done some fine-tuning with the Azoth Extreme's stabilizers and has paid special attention to the spacebar, and the difference is noticeable. I detected perhaps a hint of stabilizer rattle in the backspace key, but only after going through all the keys, several times, looking for something. 

The Azoth Extreme feels and sounds better than the original Azoth, which already felt and sounded great for a mainstream gaming keyboard. With the Azoth Extreme, Asus has definitely managed to hit actual enthusiast-level acoustics, no "for a mainstream gaming keyboard" tag necessary.

The Azoth Extreme also has a unique feature in its adjustable gasket mount, which can be adjusted via a paddle switch under the removable backplate. The gasket mount can be flipped to either a "hard" or a "soft" feel — the "hard" feel is crisper, while the "soft" feel offers more flex. I didn't expect the difference to be extreme, but it was big enough that I could immediately tell where the switch was as soon as I started typing, both from the sound and the feel. Of course, how you want the gasket mount to feel is mostly preference — it's not going to make a difference in performance, so this feature isn't necessarily particularly useful for a keyboard that has one owner (unless the owner doesn't know how they want their keyboard to feel). 

The ROG NX Snow switches that came on our Azoth Extreme were perfect for gaming, with smooth, linear keypresses and quick, consistent actuation (the lower profile keycaps helped, too). I don't love linear switches, but I'll make an exception for the NX Snows, which definitely do have a "refined" linear feel. I don't typically play games that require ultra-quick response times (except for testing), but the Azoth Extreme had a very consistent wireless connection regardless of whether it was plugged into the ROG Polling Rate Booster. The ROG Polling Rate Booster is an accessory that can boost compatible peripherals' polling rates up to 8,000 Hz (we also saw it bundled with the Asus ROG Keris II Ace gaming mouse). Whether you need a keyboard with an 8,000 Hz polling rate is a different question, however — unlike a mouse, which is constantly moving, a keyboard does not necessarily benefit from more reporting every fraction of a millisecond.

However, I will point out that these are still standard mechanical switches — not the magnetic Hall Effect switches we've been seeing in every other gaming keyboard released this year. So they do not feature things like adjustable actuation or support for Rapid Trigger — and if you are looking to push speed extremes, those are better features to chase than an 8,000 Hz polling rate.

Features and Software of the ROG Azoth Extreme

The ROG Azoth Extreme is configurable with Asus' universal peripheral software, Armoury Crate. Armoury Crate is my least favorite peripheral software, but you'll need to use it if you want to remap keys, customize the OLED screen and control knob, or change the keyboard's lighting. It also lets you access a handful of power and performance options, firmware updates, and Aura Sync, which lets you sync lighting effects across multiple Asus peripherals.

All of the Azoth Extreme's keys are programmable (except the function key) — most, up to two layers deep. There are several secondary keybinds that are fixed and can't be reprogrammed; these are printed in white on the sides of the keycaps. You can reprogram keys in Armoury Crate by clicking on a key and selecting a function from a list, which includes keyboard, mouse, and multimedia functions, shortcuts and program launching, preset input text, and macros. The keyboard also has on-the-fly macro recording, which lets you record and set macros without going through the software.

The OLED screen and control knob are customizable, but in a somewhat limited way. You can set the OLED screen to display a static or animated graphic, either from Asus' preloaded options or by uploading your own graphic to Armoury Crate. I'm not sure what the graphical limitations of the screen are, but it took me approximately 17 attempts before I was able to successfully load the Tom's Hardware graphic to the keyboard — and even on my last (successful?) attempt, Armoury Crate spit out an error message:

In addition to custom graphics, the OLED screen has four other modes: Date and time, laptop battery (only available if you're using a laptop), hardware information, and keystrokes per second (KPS). Only the graphic and KPS are turned on by default; the other modes you'll need to turn on in Armoury Crate. Once turned on, you can switch modes by swiping left/right on the screen, and you can switch through individual modes' menus by swiping up and down. Double-tapping on the screen brings up an overlay of keyboard status icons that show the caps lock and scroll lock status, current profile, current connection, battery status, PC/Mac mode, and the current functions of the three-way switch.

The control knob has several functions, which you can scroll through by tapping the side button. All functions are active by default; you can turn them off in Armoury Crate if you'd rather not scroll through functions you'll never use. The functions are: System volume, media track, keyboard brightness adjustment, OLED brightness adjustment, switch lighting effect, and customize. The "customize" function is a custom function you can configure (you can set scroll up, scroll down, and scroll click to perform any of the same functions you can set keys to perform).

Wireless Experience & Battery Life of the ROG Azoth Extreme

The ROG Azoth Extreme offers three forms of connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired (USB-C). It comes with a 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle as well as Asus' ROG Polling Rate Booster, which ups the keyboard's polling rate to 8,000 Hz in both wired and wireless mode. While you can make a reasonable argument for why an extremely high polling rate might be important in a gaming mouse for a very small fraction of gamers, I don't think you can make the same argument for a keyboard.

Asus rates the ROG Azoth's battery life at 92 hours with both the OLED screen and the keyboard's RGB backlighting turned on and over 1,600 hours with both turned off. I'll assume this is also with the polling rate set at 1,000 Hz, not 8,000 Hz. Still, this is excellent for a wireless keyboard, and what we've come to expect from Asus' gaming lineup — the original Azoth was rated for 2,000 hours with its OLED screen and lighting turned off, and Asus' Strix Scope II 96 Wireless offers 1,500 hours with its lighting turned off.

The Bottom Line

The ROG Azoth Extreme is a fantastic keyboard, no question. Asus is now solidly in enthusiast territory with this keyboard, and I won't pretend like I haven't been waiting for an actual enthusiast-level keyboard with a full suite of gaming features (even if I will always be at odds with Armoury Crate). But $500?!

You know how I said that $500 is an insane amount to pay for a mainstream gaming keyboard? Well, it's also an insane amount to pay for a prebuilt enthusiast keyboard. So the fact that Asus has managed to transcend the mainstream gaming category with this keyboard means nothing: for $500, you can just get your mainstream gaming keyboard and your enthusiast typing keyboard.

The prebuilt Meletrix Boog75 feels and sounds fantastic and has magnetic HE switches, and costs $230 — less than half of the Azoth Extreme. My favorite gaming keyboard, Asus' own ROG Strix Scope 96 II Wireless, is currently going for $150. If you get both of those, you can also pick up the great-sounding magnetic HE switch Arbiter Studio Polar 65 for $125, and you'll have spent $5 more than buying one ROG Azoth Extreme.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Alienware is a well-known brand in the gaming PC sphere, but the company hasn't had a lot of high-profile success when it comes to gaming peripherals. Having tried to break into the peripherals scene for a few years now with some less-than-stellar entries, Alienware is now marketing some of its latest products with the "Pro" moniker, and talking up and how product development has been done in collaboration with professional esports players like Team Liquid.  

Today's deal is on Dell's Alienware Pro wireless gaming keyboard which is on sale for $149 - reduced from $199. The Alienware Pro is a mechanical gaming keeb with Alienware's linear switches, hot-swappable PCB, PBT double-shot keycaps, per-key RGB, on-board memory, full anti-ghosting, N-key rollover, fully programmable keys, Windows key disable, and three modes of connectivity.

With a compact form factor that uses a 75-percent layout, with no spacing between the usual key clusters, plus a thin bezel for a clean design, the Alienware Pro certainly looks the part. The Alienware Pro uses two built-in layers of silicone sound dampening for a quieter mechanical keyboard, along with Alienware's first custom-built mechanical switch - a factory-lubed linear switch with an actuation force of 40g - and a transparent housing to help with the RGB lighting. As the Alienware Pro has a hot-swappable PCB, you can always change out the switches at a later date if you have a preference for a different type of switch. 

The Alienware Pro wireless keyboard has three modes of connectivity (2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and USB-C), with a 1,000 Hz polling rate, anti-ghosting and N-key rollover, and onboard memory with space for up to 5 custom profiles, all configured in Alienware's software suite. When connected via wireless you can expect a battery life of around 72 hours over 2.4GHz wireless with the RGB lighting enabled, and up to 798 hours with all lighting disabled. 

75% Gaming keyboards are very popular among gamers and everyday users as they often provide a quality mechanical switch experience with more reasonable pricing. However, the lower pricing aspect goes out the window with the ROG Azoth Extreme, which packs an abundance of features while commanding a hefty price of $499.99. 

To provide comfort during use while providing that 'thock' acoustics many users prefer, the Azoth Extreme has multiple foam layers and a carbon fiber plate, similar in build what companies like Meletrix provide, with an exception being that the Azoth Extreme is a complete build, ready to work out of the box. Asus bundles a silicone wristrest to provide additional comfort. It also includes wired and wireless connectivity to both Windows and macOS through its USB connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3, and radio frequency for wireless. To enable higher polling rates for the keyboard, Asus bundles a dongle that allows polling up to 8,000 Hz. 

During Computex 2024, Asus reps mentioned the option to choose between tactile and linear feedback NX switches, though the website does not show this option.

The NX switches use stems for Cherry MX compatible keycaps and you can hot-swap its mechanical switches. For the price, however, you probably won't want to hot-swap either the switches or change the keycaps — which are hopefully an improvement over the previously released ROG Azoth. Asus' proprietary software didn't provide a good experience when we reviewed that keyboard.

Apart from foam pads and gaskets, a standout feature is the OLED touchscreen in the top right and the inclusion of a three-way knob. There is also a generous number of accessories accompanying this keyboard.  

The mechanical keyboard market is teeming with options these days from companies like Keychron and several others. New players like FiiO are experimenting with a built-in DAC and headphone amplifier.

It will be interesting to see if enthusiasts are receptive to the ROG Azoth Extreme's features and high price tag, given that $500 will get you a nice RTX 4070 these days.

Logitech's low-profile G915 Lightspeed has been one of our favorite low-profile gaming keyboards for a while now — because it's a solid performer, but also because there just aren't that many low-profile gaming keyboards. But the G915 Lightspeed is $250, and its TKL counterpart is $230. Even the G815 retails for $200. 

It's time for Logitech to add a less-expensive member to the GX15 lineup, don't you think? Yeah, so did Logitech. 

The Logitech G515 Lightspeed TKL is a low-profile wireless mechanical gaming keyboard that joins the GX15 family at a surprisingly budget-friendly (relatively speaking) price point. The G515 features updated versions of Logitech's GL low-profile switches (they now have POM cross-style stems for stability and keycap compatibility), excellent battery life, and access to Logitech's KEYCONTROL, which lets you program up to 15 functions on a single key (it's a little complicated, but it does work). 

The G515 TKL is available now for $139.99 in black and white colorways, with either linear or tactile switches. It's still not the cheapest low-profile gaming keyboard we recommend, but it's got enough extra gamer-friendly features that spending a little extra might just be worth it. 

Design and Construction of the G515 Lightspeed TKL 

The G515 Lightspeed TKL is a low-profile wireless mechanical keyboard with a TKL layout. It's the same size as Logitech's G915 TKL, measuring 14.5 inches (368) wide by 5.9 inches (150mm) deep and 0.87 inches (22mm) thick at its thickest point (including keycaps. It's built more affordably than the G915 TKL, with an all-plastic chassis (including backplate) and no volume roller or dedicated media keys. And it's (surprisingly) a little heavier: the G515 TKL weighs 1.94 pounds (880g) versus the G915 TKL's 1.79 pounds (810g).

The G515 TKL may be missing its pricier sibling's aluminum backplate, but it's still very sturdily built. Our review unit came in white, with a light gray plastic bottom plate that juts out to create a lip along the top of the keyboard (this is where you'll find the input buttons and Caps Lock/Battery indicator LEDs). It features a white plastic top  plate with a premium-feeling matte finish, and double-shot PBT keycaps with shine-through legends.

On the bottom of the G515 TKL, there are five slim rubber strips to keep the keyboard from slipping during intense typing or gaming sessions, as well as two sets of flip-out plastic feet to adjust the keyboard's angle (4 degrees and 8 degrees). There's also a small nook where you can store the keyboard's 2.4-GHz Lightforce wireless dongle when you're not using it — pretty standard for Logitech's gaming keyboards, but still a nice touch, especially on a keyboard this slim.

There's a power switch along the back of the keyboard on the right side, and a USB-C port for charging and wired mode on the left. There are no dedicated media keys — though there are media keys as preset secondary keybinds, which are printed along the edges of the keycaps — but there are three buttons in the upper left corner. These are for switching between 2.4-GHz wireless and Bluetooth connections, and for toggling Game Mode.

The G515 TKL comes with a 6-foot (1.8m) rubber USB-C to USB-A cable, a USB extender, and, of course, the corresponding 2.4-GHz Lightspeed wireless dongle. This is a 2:1 dongle, which means you can pair it with up to two compatible Lightspeed devices (e.g. this keyboard and a mouse or a headset) using G Hub, and free up a USB port on your PC. It's not quite as convenient as Logitech's six-device unifying receiver for its productivity line, but that's the trade-off for a speedy 1,000 Hz wireless polling rate.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the G515 Lightspeed TKL

The G515 TKL features updated versions of Logitech's low-profile GL switches in linear or tactile options. The switches have been updated from the G915's hook system to a POM cross-style stem, which the company says means reduced wobble and a better typing experience. The cross-style stem also means the switches are now compatible with the majority of keycaps — though, of course, they're still low-profile switches so you'll need low-profile keycaps. 

Speaking of which, the G515 TKL's keycaps are thick, premium-feeling doubleshot-PBT, with lightly-curved tops and a textured matte finish that does an okay job of keeping your fingers from slipping around. They have shine-through legends, which show off the keyboard's RGB lighting nicely. I was able to see the tops of the switches' stems through some of the legends — a minor but noticeable (at least to me) design issue that made the lighting look a little uneven. 

Our review unit came with tactile switches, which have an actuation force of 45g; the linear switches have an actuation force of 43g. Both the tactile and linear switches actuate at 1.3mm and have a total travel distance of 3.2mm, so they do feel slightly different from their predecessors, which have an actuation force of 50g, an actuation distance of 1.5mm, and a total travel distance of 2.7mm.

I'm not the biggest fan of low-profile keyboards, and it usually takes me a moment to get used to them — but the tactile switches on this keyboard made it much easier for me to adapt. The tactile bump on the keypress, combined with the just-rough-enough texture of the keycaps made me a very speedy typist — I was easily hitting around 125 - 130 words per minute (wpm) as soon as I sat down. But while the keycaps are textured, it's hard not to have fingers flying on such a flat keyboard, and my accuracy did drop from 98% to around 95%. 

The switches make no sound, but the keycaps do give a slightly plasticky-sounding thunk as you bottom out . Logitech has tried to elevate the typing experience by factory-lubing the switches and adding sound-dampening foam inside the case, and it does sound pretty good — for a mainstream gaming keyboard. It's not the best-sounding keyboard (even low-profile keyboard) I've used recently, but I can tell there's case foam. The case isn't particularly pingy or hollow-sounding, but there's definitely some plasticky rattle to be heard as you type. 

Gaming on the G515 TKL was a solid, if not perfect, experience. The flat, semi-slippery keys were somewhat of an issue in games that required maximum speed and accuracy (e.g. first-person shooters, any eSports competitions). But if you're looking at this keyboard, you know you're giving up something in exchange for slimness and portability. And while the switches are low-profile, the 3.2mm total travel is still enough to give pretty satisfying tactile feedback. 

In games where speed and accuracy weren't constantly competing, the G515 TKL was a great gaming sidekick — tactile enough that there was no learning curve, and significantly better than any built-in laptop keyboard. And, because you can remap several layers of keys with Logitech's KEYCONTROL software (which I'll talk about in the next section), I didn't even miss the numberpad and all the macro keys, buttons, and dials I usually have.

Features and Software of the G515 Lightspeed TKL

The G515 TKL works with Logitech's gaming peripheral software, G Hub. With G Hub, you can customize the keyboard's lighting (pick from a number of presets or create your own pattern/effects) and modify which keys are disabled when you turn on game mode. You can also use KEYCONTROL, which is Logitech's new multi-layer remapping tool introduced with the Logitech G Pro X 60. KEYCONTROL is similar to multi-layer remapping tools from other gaming companies (e.g. Razer's HyperShift), with a few standout features.

First, you can remap the G-Shift key to any key on the keyboard OR button on a compatible Logitech peripheral, such as a mouse. Second, you start with three layers — the base layer, the Fn layer, and the G-Shift layer, and you can remap keys on each layer by modifier (Alt/Ctrl/Shift), by event type (standard/press/hold/release), or by a combination of the two. Ultimately, this gives you the ability to program up to 15 functions on a single key — which is definitely overkill, but hey. You can save and share your KEYCONTROL mapping presets, and Logitech does have a section outlined for "Curated Presets" — it's currently empty, but hopefully we'll see some game-specific presets pop up soon. 

The G515 TKL offers three forms of connectivity: 2.4-GHz Lightspeed wireless, Bluetooth, and wired (via USB-C). In my testing, the 2.4-GHz Lightspeed wireless was solid — not once did it drop the connection or feel even the tiniest bit slower than when it was plugged in, and it was easy to switch to using the dedicated wireless button in the upper left corner. The Bluetooth connection was also very solid, though it did, of course, feature the noticeable latency you get with all Bluetooth connections — it's fine for most things, but gamers will want to stick with 2.4-GHz wireless. 

I will note that this keyboard can only connect to one Bluetooth device at a time, not three, like you'll see in some gaming keyboards (e.g. the Keychron Q1 HE I  just reviewed). This wouldn't normally be too much of a problem in a gaming keyboard, but I can see it being more of an issue in something like the G515 TKL, which is slim, lightweight, and travel-friendly. 

Logitech says the G515 TKL will give you 36 hours of continuous play over its 2.4-GHz wireless connection with the backlighting at full brightness, and up to 600 hours with the backlighting turned off. That is... fantastic, especially for such a slim keyboard.  

The Bottom Line

The Logitech G515 TKL isn't really a successor to the G915 (TKL or not). But with the G515's similarly slim and lightweight form factor, updated low-profile switches, excellent battery life, and significantly cheaper build, honestly — who needs a G915? The G515 TKL is surprisingly well-built, from its solid, sound-dampened plastic chassis to its double-shot PBT keycaps, and its bright RGB backlighting looks great against the white top plate. 

You'll find a similarly well-built low-profile "gaming" (well, gaming-friendly) wireless keyboard in the Nuphy Air96 for a little cheaper ($120). But this is one case where the extra $20 is worth dropping, if you're a gamer: you won't get the G515 TKL's multi-layer programmability or custom game mode — or the ability to customize per-key RGB... per-key — on the Air96.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

We can't seem to go five feet without tripping over a gaming keyboard featuring magnetic Hall Effect switches these days, so it's no surprise that Keychron has launched its first HE keyboard — the Keychron Q1 HE QMK Wireless Custom keyboard. 

We actually first saw this keyboard back in January at CES, and it officially launched at the end of April after a successful Kickstarter run. While it's not necessarily being marketed as a gaming keyboard, it's got the magnetic switches and 1,000 Hz polling rate (wired and wireless) that might just land it on our list of best gaming keyboards. 

The Q1 HE is a 75-percent wireless mechanical keyboard featuring Gateron 2.0 double-rail magnetic Nebula switches — linear magnetic Hall Effect switches with an actuation range of 0.5 - 3.8mm and a bottom-out force of 60g. It comes fully assembled in a solid aluminum chassis with a double gasket mounted hot-swappable PCB, double-shot PBT keycaps, and a programmable knob for $219. You can also buy the barebones version — which comes with the knob but no keycaps or switches — for $20 less ($199). It's available now in carbon black (black case with white, black, and red keycaps) and shell white (white case with white, teal, and aqua keycaps).

Design and Construction of the Q1 HE 

The Q1 HE is a 75-percent gasket mount wireless mechanical keyboard with magnetic switches. At $219 fully-built, this keyboard is pricier than you might expect, especially as Keychron has made a name for itself by producing surprisingly well-priced mechanical keyboards. Keychron also makes the Q1 in a standard, non-magnetic-switch version, which costs $179 fully assembled. The 75 percent layout means that the Q1 HE comes with all alphanumeric keys, a full function row, and a handful of navigation keys — by default, the Q1 HE has PgUp, PgDn, and Home under its customizable rotary knob, but the keyboard comes with other navigation key keycaps that you can swap in if you decide to remap. It comes in both black and white colorways, each with a matching metal knob in the upper-right corner and matching keycaps in complementary colors.

The Q1 HE features the same full metal chassis as its non-HE counterpart: Its body is made entirely of 6063 aluminum and our unit weighed in at exactly 3.75 pounds (1,700g). It's not the heaviest keyboard we've reviewed, but it's certainly very dense. Its measurements are pretty standard for a 75-percent keyboard: 12.89 x 5.71 x 1.41 inches (327.5 x 145 x 35.8mm), so it will occupy a fairly compact (but hefty) footprint on your desktop. This is similar to the Meletrix Boog75 — another enthusiast-grade gaming keyboard with magnetic switches — which measures 12.74 x 5.74 x 1.37 inches (323.6 x 145.78 x 34.73mm). The Boog75 also has a full metal body made of 6063 aluminum and is heavier at 4.28 pounds (1,941g). (It's not, however, wireless.)

Like most fully metal mechanical keyboards, the Q1 HE has no built-in height adjustment — it sits at a 5.2-degree angle by default and has four small round rubber feet on the back to prevent slippage from overenthusiastic typing or gaming. The front of the keyboard is about 0.89 inches (22.6mm) high — I didn't need a wrist rest, but it's likely some (perhaps most) people will want one. Keychron sells wooden wrist rests sized to fit all of its keyboards on its site; you can pick up the Q1-sized rest for $25, but it's currently out of stock.

The Q1 HE comes with double-shot PBT keycaps with printed legends, in Keychron's OSA keycap profile. The keycaps have a smooth matte finish and feel thick and sturdy. The legends are crisp and clear, and several of the keys also feature secondary legends for things like switching between Bluetooth devices and media controls. There are no dedicated media controls on the Q1 HE aside from the clickable rotary knob, which controls volume/mute by default but is customizable via QMK/VIA. The knob is also metal, with textured sides and notches for precise control.

In the box, the Q1 HE comes with a bundle of accessories, including extra keycaps for swapping out navigation keys and switching between PC/Mac modes, a dual keycap and switch puller, and a small kit for opening up and customizing the keyboard (screwdriver, hex key, extra gaskets, feet, and screws). It also comes with a 6-foot USB-C to USB-C cable (with a USB-C to USB-A converter on one end), a USB extender, and a small USB-A dongle that you'll need to connect to 2.4GHz wireless. There's nowhere on the keyboard to store the dongle, but as the case is just a solid chunk of aluminum, that's understandable.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Q1 HE 

The prebuilt Q1 HE comes with Gateron 2.0 Nebula switches, which are linear magnetic switches with a starting force of 40g and a bottom-out force of 60g. This is the only prebuilt switch option, but Keychron also sells two other compatible switches separately — Gateron 2.0 Dawn (linear, 30g starting force, 50g bottom-out) and Gateron 2.0 Aurora (linear, 50g starting force, 70g bottom-out). 

It's worth noting that while the Q1 HE is hot-swappable, it's only compatible with similar magnetic switches — not all magnetic switches (and no non-magnetic switches). The Q1 HE is not compatible with Gateron KS-37B switches (seen in the Meletrix Boog75, which is also hot-swappable but is, similarly, only compatible with select magnetic switches). KS-37B switches have a longer tube that penetrates the PCB, and the Q1 HE's PCB can't accommodate this. Keychron states that the Q1 HE is only compatible with other magnetic switches sold by Keychron. However, while the Gateron 2.0 Nebula/Dawn/Aurora switches are Keychron-exclusives, they look very close to Gateron KS-20U switches. So it's possible the Q1 HE is also compatible with those, but I don't have any KS-20Us on hand to test this theory.

The Q1 HE's switches are pre-lubed and have a dual-rail structure designed to reduce stem wobble. This works well; the switches are smooth and stable — there's still some stem wobble but it's not bad. The board features a double gasket mount design that makes for a comfortable typing experience, and the case is lined with sound-dampening foam and an acoustic pad to reduce ping. It's a nice-sounding keyboard out of the box, though there's some noticeable stabilizer rattle (especially in the space bar) and bottoming out sounds slightly dull. The Q1 HE's sound is not too far from that of the Boog75 — but I did have a (mild, but definitive) preference for the latter. 

The Q1 HE comes with double-shot PBT keycaps in Keychron's OSA profile, which is the same height as standard OEM profile keycaps, but with a slightly angled, spherical shape on top that cups your fingers. The keycaps have a smooth, matte finish — a little less textured than most PBT keycaps, and they feel fairly thick. They're comfortable to type on so long as you don't mind the OEM profile height, and the tops are just curved enough to help keep your fingers from slipping onto the wrong keys. I adapted to the keycap profile almost instantly, and I was able to type with my normal speed and accuracy within a few minutes of sitting down with the Q1 HE. 

The Q1 HE also makes a great gaming keyboard — actually, I'm not sure why Keychron didn't release this under its gaming brand (Lemokey), considering magnetic Hall Effect switches are mainly advertised to gamers for their speed and features like Rapid Trigger. (Well, it's probably going to; the P1, which appears to be the Q1's equivalent, is up for pre-order on Lemokey's site now.) Anyway, the Q1 HE offers the standard swath of magnetic switch features: wide range, precise adjustable actuation, multiple inputs on a single key, and Rapid Trigger. The switches have an actuation range of 0.5 - 3.8mm, with a sensitivity of 0.1mm, and each key's actuation can be set individually with Keychron's new web-based customization app, Keychron Launcher. The keyboard also offers low-latency 1,000 Hz polling rates over both wireless (2.4GHz) and wired connections.

Features and Software of the Q1 HE

The Q1 HE offers three forms of connectivity: low-latency 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and wired (via USB-C). The 2.4GHz wireless connection was solid and consistent in my testing, and there was no noticeable difference in latency between it and the wired connection (as you might expect, there was noticeable lag over the Bluetooth connection). The keyboard has two switches on the back: one to switch between connection types and one to switch between PC and Mac modes. My only minor gripe was with the connection switch, which was trickier to quickly move into position than it should have been. (Luckily, speed-switching connections isn't one of my priorities.)

You can customize the Q1 HE with Keychron Launcher, Keychron's new web-based tool that supports all of its keyboards. It's Keychron's in-house answer to VIA and it's very similar — it only works in WebHID-enabled browsers and you'll need to connect the keyboard via USB-C to use it. It has several sections: HE Mode, keymapping, lighting, macros, firmware updates, key testing, and bug reports. In the HE Mode tab, you can set switch actuation, turn on and customize Rapid Trigger, program multiple inputs on individual keys, and set up gamepad emulation. It's not the most polished software I've used (updating the board's firmware was a little messy) but it wasn't too difficult to figure out.

You can also change the keyboard's lighting effects in Keychron Launcher, though you are limited to preset effects — most of which only offer customization in the way of speed and/or color. The lighting is bright — thanks to the keyboard's south-facing PCB — and vibrant enough that it looks good behind the Q1 HE's solid, non-shine-through keycaps.

The Q1 HE has a 4,000 mAh battery that Keychron says will last "up to 100 hours" with the backlighting turned off. That's not terribly impressive given the keyboard's weight, but it also seems like plenty... given the keyboard's weight. I expect this nearly-four-pound keyboard will spend most of its time on desks.

The Bottom Line

The Keychron Q1 HE QMK Wireless Custom keyboard is pretty impressive — even though every custom keyboard company seems to have a nearly identical offer. Nearly being the key word — the Q1 HE has the solid build and nice typing experience of the Meletrix Boog75, the tri-mode connectivity of the Akko MOD007B-HE PC, and the larger layout we wanted from the Arbiter Studio Polar 65. 

It doesn't, however, have the budget-friendly price of the Redragon K683WB FIDD (far from it) — at $219, it's definitely on the pricier side. It's got some issues — switch options are limited (and might be forever); the software is a little messy; and it could sound a little better. But if you've been contemplating hopping on the magnetic Hall Effect switch bandwagon — well, you won't be disappointed with the Q1 HE.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

When we reviewed Asus's ROG Azoth in early 2023, we praised the 75-percent keyboard's fantastic build quality, long battery life, useful screen and copious customization options. Today, Asus is taking everything we liked about the original Azoth and turning the volume up to 11 on it for the new ROG Azoth Extreme. 

Due out in Q3 for an as-yet-undetermined price, the Azoth Extreme has been designed with a lot of carbon fiber, including a carbon fiber plate that you can move higher or lower by toggling a switch on the bottom of the keyboard. If the plate is higher, the keys feel rigid and, if it's lower, there's a little bit of sponginess as you'd expect from a gasket-mounted keyboard like this one. 

When typing on the Azoth Extreme at an Asus Computex 2024 media event, we found that the difference between high and low modes was very noticeable, but it's not as big an influence on the key feel as the switches. The demo units on display featured Asus's NX linear switches, but a company rep said that the keyboard would also be available with NX clicky switches or tactile switches. And, like its predecessor, the Azoth Extreme is hot-swappable so you can also bring your own switches.

The OLED display sits in the upper-right corner of the keyboard and is now full color and a touch screen. You can use it to see custom images and animations or, more importantly, to get stats from either the keyboard or your PC. You should be able to see your remaining battery percentage, brightness or even your CPU utilization here. You can switch modes by swiping on the screen itself or using the navigation dial next to it.

Asus has also increased the polling rate over what the prior-gen Azoth offered. Using the included USB polling-rate booster, it can hit a full 8,000 Hz in 2.4-GHz wireless mode. That's eight times quicker than its predecessor, and overkill particularly for a keybaord. If you don't want to connect via dongle, the Azoth Extreme also has built-in Bluetooth connectivity and the ability to use wired mode. Asus claims that the Azoth Extreme can last for 1,600 hours on a charge when operating at 2.4 GHz, even with the high polling rates.

Designed to compete with the best gaming keyboards on the market, the Azoth Extreme also comes with a silicone wrist rest that, in our brief hands-on time, actually felt really soft and comfy. I'm not sure it would dethrone the HyperX gel wrist rest as our favorite, but it looks and feels really good. The keyboard itself also has a very heavy, solid feel to it. An official weight was not available at press time.

ROG Delta II Gaming Headset

Asus's ROG Delta II gaming headset combines slick, RGB-enabled looks with plenty of customization options and the ability to listen to two different audio sources at once or toggle between them.  The company calls this DualFlow Audio and it can be quite helpful if, for example, you are playing a game and then you want to answer a call that has just come in on your phone.

The headset has tri-mode connectivity, which means that it comes with a 2.4-GHz wireless dongle, built-in Bluetooth and the ability to us it in wired mode. In a DualFlow scenario, you'd have the phone connected via Bluetooth and the PC using the dongle.

The headset actually has two sets of volume controls, one on each side, so you can decide which audio feed is louder. So, if you're playing a game on the PC but want to get a music feed from your phone, you can choose whether the music or the game is  more prominent. That's something most gaming headsets, even the best wireless gaming headsets, don't have. That said, Corsair's Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT accomplishes the same thing with one jog wheel for the primary volume and volume up / down buttons on either side of it for the secondary volume. We'll have to test Asus' headset to see which controls feel more intuitive.

The company boasts that the Delta II can last up to 110 hours when used in 2.4-GHz mode, though we assume that's with the RGB lights off. It also promises to have just 40 ms of latency, which Asus claims is 27 percent faster than the competition.

We didn't get to listen to the ROG Delta II, and the demo room was noisy anyway, so we can't say whether its 50 mm titanium-plated diaphragm drivers make it sound as amazing as Asus claims. However, I did get to try the headset on and its 315 gram body felt very light on my head while the leatherette ear cups were cool and soft against my ears.

One thing I really like about the Delta II is that it comes with two different sets of earcups: one with a smooth, leatherette surface and the other with a matte fabric surface. You can also remove the microphone if, like me, you have a podcast mic you use to do your talking.

The detachable microphone is 10mm, and aims to offer clearer audio capture. Asus showed us a recorded demo where a gamer screamed into both 6mm and 10mm microphones and his words were garbled with the former but much easier to make out with the latter.

ROG Harpe Ace Extreme Mouse

Asus has also evolved its ROG Harpe Ace mouse into the ROG Harpe Ace Extreme. When we reviewed the Harpe Ace Aim Labs Edition back in 2023, we praised that mouse's precision and extreme light weight of 54 grams. But we didn't love the grip-tape aesthetic.

The Harpe Ace Extreme wireless mouse is now made from carbon fiber, which not only looks nice due to the weave pattern, but also shrinks the weight down to just 47 grams. It feels exceptionally light in the hand. The Extreme also features glass mouse feet made from Gorilla Glass 3, which is a change from the PFTE feet on the Harpe Ace.

Like the Azoth Extreme, the Harpe Ace also uses Asus's Polling Rate Booster 2.4-GHz dongle to get to 8,000 Hz. According to the company, that results in an industry-best click latency of 0.45 ms. 

We didn't get a chance to spend much time with the Harpe Ace Extreme, but it seems like a really strong upgrade over its predecessor and a strong competitor for the title of best gaming mouse. But of course, it will also be very expensive, as a step up from the previous non-extreme, non-carbon fiber model, which currently sells for about $140.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, hope you're all having a great long weekend. Here's a pretty sweet deal on a full-sized mechanical keyboard that's perfect for a bit of budget retail therapy or as a gift for a budding gaming setup that's not going to drain the wallet. At this price, it could easily be one of the best budget mechanical keyboards currently available.

Roccat's Pyro full-size mechanical keyboard is on sale for just $34 at Best Buy. Originally released with an MSRP of $100, the Roccat Pyro was priced for a mid-range gaming keyboard. It features TTC Red linear mechanical switches, RGB, vertical volume control knob, brushed aluminum upper body, and a detachable wrist rest. 

The Roccat Pyro uses the TTC Red linear mechanical switches (very similar to Cherry Reds), which have a 45g operating force, a 2mm actuation point, and a 4mm total travel distance. The keyboard has full-key rollover, which is essential for a gaming keyboard where multiple key inputs need to be recorded at the same time. 

Connectivity comes via a wired USB Type-A cable, with no extra luxuries such as a USB passthrough or audio port located on the keyboard. We've also had the opportunity to review the Roccat Pyro and gave it 3 stars. We liked the unique aesthetic, vertical volume knob, and two inputs on a single key, thanks to the Easy-Shift feature. Things we weren't so fond of were the software feeling outdated, lack of macro support, and no option for clicky or tactile switches. But what you get for $34 is a bit of a no-brainer if you're looking for a new budget keyboard.

Redragon has developed a solid reputation for itself in the budget sector of the mechanical gaming keyboard world. Like the keyboards on our list of best gaming keyboards, Redragon's keyboards balance compelling specs and features with a very budget-friendly price. 

The new Redragon K683WB FIDD is out to offer a low-cost alternative to the trend-setting Wooting 60HE. This keyboard features fast, programmable magnetic switches with customizable actuation points and Rapid Trigger technology for competitive gaming. The keyboard normally retails for $89.99, but it's currently available with a 40% off coupon — bringing the price to around $50. It's an affordable option, but it's also a pretty bare-bones one.

Redragon K683WB FIDD Specs

Design of the Redragon K683WB FIDD

The Redragon K683WB FIDD is a simple but colorful ultra-compact mechanical gaming keyboard. It doesn’t take any liberties with the layout but embraces a bright teal and white color scheme to help it stand out. But when it comes to its core design, well, if you’ve seen one 60-percent keyboard, you’ve pretty much seen them all.

The K683WB FIDD gives you all of the basic keys — letters, numbers, and modifiers — and nothing else. There are no arrows, no media controls, and no volume roller. Instead, most of these functions are accessible as secondary commands by holding the Fn button and tapping each associated key. 

On this front, I have to give kudos to Redragon for using a layout that actually makes some sense. The Fn button is directly to the right of the spacebar, so you can press it with your pinky to access the secondary layer of keys and restore many of the missing functions. The arrows are mapped to WASD, which is where your left hand will probably be anyway, and the navigation keys (Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down) are positioned more to the right on the K683WB FIDD than they are on many compact keyboards. The paging keys on the bottom row are still cramped, so this keyboard doesn’t solve the problem of finger acrobatics on 60-percent keyboards, but it's not the worst I've seen. 

However, unlike some of the other 60-percent keyboards on the market, such as the Logitech G Pro X 60 or the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini, there are no media controls mapped by default. There’s also no Print Screen button for quick screenshots. If you want either of these functions, you’ll need to map them yourself using the keyboard’s software.

The K683WB FIDD is also missing any kind of side legends to let you know what its pre-mapped secondary functions are — which makes a steep learning curve significantly steeper. During my test period, I had to keep the manual out on my desk until I had it memorized (and I’m very familiar with miniature gaming keyboards, at this point).

It does look great, though. Redragon has dropped the usual gunmetal gray, black, and solid white of most gaming keyboards for a mix of teal and white, which extends to the case as well. The steel top plate is painted white while the plastic bottom is matching teal. The feet on the bottom of the keyboard are also white, tying everything together. 

The keycaps are also pretty good. They’re made of doubleshot PBT plastic and are quite thick, so they should be extra durable. The density of PBT is higher than its competing keycap material, ABS, which makes it more resistant to wear and tear over time. The keycaps are tall and cylindrical, similar to the OSA keycap profile found on many AKKO keyboards. They’re quite comfortable to use but their taller height might also increase the learning curve — especially if you’re used to typing on a laptop or on an Apple Magic Keyboard.

Beneath those keycaps, the keyboard uses magnetic Hall Effect switches that are both unnamed and undescribed. Unlike a traditional mechanical key switch, these switches have embedded magnets hidden in the stem. They match with a sensor directly below that can tell precisely how far they’re being pressed. This technology allows for some very exciting features, such as custom actuation points and Rapid Trigger, where the actuation point and reset point are identical for improved responsiveness. It also allows Redragon to offer features such as Dynamic Key Strokes, where one action can be sent when the key hits a certain distance, a second when it hits further down, and two more when the key travels back up.

Magnetic Hall Effect keyboards also have the benefit of not having directly-touching electrical components that introduce interference known as debounce delay. The lack of delay allows the keyboard to be measurably more responsive, though this is more of a marketing point than anything. The difference is there, but it's so small that only a machine can reliably tell. 

If you'd prefer to try a different switch, it’s simple using the included tool. Like mechanical keyboards with hot-swap sockets, these can simply be pulled out without the need to desolder. You’ll need another magnetic switch to replace it, however — traditional switches won’t work, and with Hall Effect keyboards being so new, there's no standard yet that ensures everything is cross-compatible. The only way to really tell if a magnetic switch will be compatible is to read reviews and/or try them out yourself. This is another area in which a little clarity from Redragon would go a long way.

What’s more impactful is the keyboard’s 8,000 Hz polling rate. While most gaming keyboards have a polling rate of 1,000 Hz, meaning they report to the PC 1,000 times per second, the K683WB FIDD communicates at eight times that rate — or 8,000 times per second. This lowers input latency from the standard 1ms to 0.125ms.

There are arguments to be made about whether this difference in input latency is noticeable (especially on a keyboard), but it's a surprising feature to see on a keyboard at this price point regardless. It was only a few years ago that such a high polling rate was reserved for the most expensive and prestigious gaming keyboards out there. Also, while an 8,000 Hz polling rate won't truly benefit most gamers, it does remove the glass ceiling so you know you're playing with the highest report rate currently available (and speed and responsiveness is presumably high priority for gamers looking at magnetic switch keyboards). 

The keyboard is also fully programmable: you can remap keys, record macros, and adjust the keyboard's per-key RGB lighting using Redragon’s software for the keyboard, which is available on a model by model basis on its website. We'll get into the details of the software later, but while it's functional, it's not nearly as polished as I would like to see from a company that has been around for as long as Redragon has.

Apart from these features, this keyboard is very “what you see is what you get.” The switches are a mystery; there’s no reverb-dampening foam or interesting mounting structure. The sound is pretty hollow but is otherwise standard for a small gaming keyboard. The stabilizers are pre-lubed but feel slightly mushy due to how much grease is layered on them. Also, the USB Type-C port is on the left side of the keyboard (instead of the back) and the keyboard comes with an L-shaped USB cable to match. 

Beyond the K683WB FIDD's appearance and the magnetic switches, it's really fairly standard, without any extra frills. But you also wouldn't necessarily expect frills at this price — and the doubleshot PBT keycaps and 8K polling rate are pretty impressive at this price point. Plus, it's not black, gray, or solid white.

There are a few things that bother me, however. First, the lack of clarity about the switches is criminal in 2024 — all we know is that they're linear and magnetic. There's no information about actuation force, and that's a very important facet for potential buyers.

One image calls these switches “Lekker switches,” and they are absolutely not Lekker switches. For those of you who don't know, Lekker switches are the custom switches included in Wooting keyboards — Redragon’s direct competitor. They're one of the things Wooting fans love most about Wooting keyboards, and they're a major selling point for Wooting. Again, I repeat, the switches on the Redragon K683WB FIDD are not Lekker switches. These are Lekker switches and they are produced by Gateron. The switches here appear to be made by Kailh but are branded as Redragon. I find this to be deliberately deceptive. 

Additionally, if you dig into the product reviews for the K683WB FIDD on Amazon page, you’ll soon find customers praising an entirely different keyboard. This occurs when there are multiple product versions on a single listing (not the case here) or when the seller has swapped in a new product for an old listing in an effort to retain the positive star rating. This is also deceptive — it's a trick that essentially uses fake endorsements from unsuspecting customers to promote a completely different product. 

The reality is this: Redragon doesn't tell us much about this keyboard. That doesn't mean it's a bad keyboard, per se, but it is a bad practice when competitors readily share details on switches and specs. You're forced to trust the brand, which is difficult to do when they also appear to be using deliberately deceptive marketing techniques.

Typing Experience on the Redragon K683WB FIDD

The K683WB FIDD offers a decent experience for normal typing, but it doesn't do much to make it stand out from the many other 60-percent gaming keyboards. Because its switches lack physical contacts with electrical components, they're natural very smooth and appear to have a light coating of lubricant to enhance the experience. The keyboard's sound signature is bright, but the thick doubleshot PBT keycaps add a deepness to the sound that you won't find in most keyboards around this price point. The case lacks any kind of foam for sound dampening or acoustic tuning, however, so it still sounds relatively hollow.

I found the tall keycaps to be quite comfortable, but I thought the typing angle was too shallow. The keyboard is nearly perfectly flat by default, and its small tilt feet only provide a minor amount of extra leverage. It's not a keyboard you'll want to use with a palm rest.

The switches, despite being unknown, are pretty good. Their smoothness is a perfect match for their linearity. They aren't switches that immediately stand out in any particular way, but their performance is good for the price and they didn't leave me wanting. The stabilizers are pre-lubed — a bit too generously; they don't rattle, but they feel a little mushy.

I used the K683WB FIDD for a couple of weeks, alternating with my main keyboard. As configured, this keyboard wouldn’t be my first choice for typing. However, it becomes much more capable with some customizations. The default key mappings are better than many 60-percent keyboards but they're difficult to memorize without side legends, which makes the keyboard challenging to use for productivity. 

In terms of sheer typing speed, the K683WB FIDD didn’t slow me down at all. My average typing speed is around 110 wpm and I averaged 108 wpm across multiple typing tests on MonkeyType while using the K683WB FIDD. If you’re used to lower profile keycaps, it’s likely that your typing speed and accuracy will take a hit as you adjust to higher-profile keycaps.  

The keyboard’s customizable actuation point is a very useful feature for typing. I tend to be a heavy-handed typist that bottoms out more often than not, and lowering my actuation point outside of games nearly eradicated typos. I chose to shift the actuation point of all switches from the standard 2mm to 3.2mm and I saw a noticeable improvement with the amount of errors in my writing.

You can create your own layout on the K683WB FIDD that works for your flow using the keyboard's companion software. You can also replace any keys that may be missing from the stock layout, such as Print Screen and assorted media controls, and change the position of the Fn button. 

Once you customize the keyboard, it's much more useful for day-to-day writing and typing. If you're not willing to spend a half hour or so to customize the layout, you'll probably be better off with a larger keyboard or a 60-percent board with side legends.

Gaming Experience of the Redragon K683WB FIDD

The Redragon K683WB FIDD offers a good gaming experience, especially for the price. Its small form factor might not be perfect for productivity, but it's great for gamers who want extra space for their mouse hand. If you're the kind of gamer who angles your keyboard to maximize desk space, a 60-percent layout is perfect. It's a stellar choice for shooters that benefit from high-DPI, low-sensitivity mouse settings, because it's much easier to accomplish big mouse sweeps with this keyboard.

One of the main reasons to opt for a magnetic keyboard is the Rapid Trigger feature. While a traditional switch needs to come most of the way back up before it can be pressed again, magnetic switches allow you to dial in both a custom actuation point and a custom rest point — and these can exist at the same spot along the key's travel. What this means is that the instant the key starts moving up it can be pressed again, and this makes every key Rapid Trigger is applied to feel more responsive. Combined with the K683WB FIDD's 8,000 Hz polling rate, and you've got a keyboard that feels exceptionally alive during intense matches.

While the best use-case for a feature like this is a game such as Osu, I’ve started enjoying it in Battlefield 2042 and Call of Duty. It's nice to be able to peek from cover in quick flutters when I know there may be an enemy just around the corner. It's also useful for changing positions quickly — dropping into prone (and back again), similar to what you can do with a custom gaming controller.

Dynamic Key Strokes, or DKS, is a magnetic switch feature that lets you tie up to four different commands to different points along the switch's travel. While I didn't find many uses for this feature outside of shifting from running to sprinting, there's certainly potential here.

The programmability of the keyboard is also an asset, but it’s hindered by the fact that it only supports one onboard profile. You can remap keys and assign macros, as well as Windows shortcuts, media controls, lighting settings, and program launches, on both the “top” layer (your physical keys) and a secondary layer (accessed with Fn). But the issue here is that Redragon locks all of the keys with default commands, even if those commands are remapped elsewhere — meaning many keys aren't remappable.

Overall, the keyboard provides a decent, if limited, gaming experience.

Software for the Redragon K683WB FIDD

The Redragon software for the K683WB FIDD is functional but unpolished, and it's a bit tedious to engage with. You can use it to remap keys, assign macros and shortcuts, and program the keyboard's RGB lighting and adjust the Hall Effect-specific settings. But it's definitely unrefined.

For example: when you load up the software, an entirely different keyboard model is listed at the top (and is called a “keyabord"). There's more broken English and sparse descriptions throughout. If you want to assign DKS settings to a key, you'll find the setting hidden under a tab labeled "Senior Keys" — and it's not clear what it's supposed to do until you click through and piece it together via graphics and trial and error.

I also ran into an issue where my settings wouldn’t always save to the keyboard — even after clicking the Download button to save them to the keyboard. The only reliable way I found to ensure they saved was to save the base and Fn layers separately.

Programming Rapid Trigger and actuation point settings is more straightforward — thankfully — but should you ever need to calibrate the keys (sometimes necessary if you travel with the keyboard), change switches, or if you just happen to have a key that's not perfectly aligned out of the box, good luck. I've run into these issues on multiple keyboards, and the best usually provide an option to calibrate all keys at once. With this keyboard, however, you'll need to click through each key, start calibration, and wait around 10 seconds for it to complete — over, and over, and over again.

So, while the software does work, and allows you to accomplish roughly the same level of programming as most other magnetic switch keyboards, it's very rough and, frankly, a pain to use.

Bottom Line

The Redragon K683WB FIDD is a fairly simple 60-percent gaming keyboard with magnetic switches. It stands out mostly for its price, which is good to begin with and is excellent on sale. However, it's also very clear that you get what you pay for — the trade-offs are evident every time you use it. You'll never not feel like you're using a budget keyboard.

If you're able to spend a little more, there are plenty of good options on the market — especially if you need a slightly larger layout. The Redragon K701, in fact, costs less and offers virtually identical features in a 65-percent layout. Drunkdeer also has several good options, including the A75 — which is slightly larger but much better built, and uses an online configurator instead of dedicated software.The Gamakay TK75 is another good option with a higher-quality typing experience for just $10 more.

If you're on a tight budget and you must have magnetic switches, the K683WB FIDD will get the job done. None of its problems are game-breaking, but considering it does have several issues, I'd recommend saving up a little more for a keyboard that won't require you to compromise as much.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Meletrix is calling the Boog75 the "enthusiasts' gaming keyboard," but that title seems to be based entirely on the fact that this keyboard has magnetic switches — which is great, but it's hardly the first (or second, or third, or fourth) keyboard we've seen recently with magnetic switches. It'll take more than magnetic switches to land the Boog75 on our list of best gaming keyboards. 

The Boog75 is a wired, 75-percent gasket mount keyboard with a full aluminum body, double-shot PBT keycaps, and Gateron KS-37B Magnetic Hall Sensor switches. It comes pre-built, but it sounds and feels like a customizer's dream: smooth, stable keystrokes with creamy, perfectly-dampened thockiness. It comes in two interesting colorways: "Shockwave" (black/mint green) and "Induction Coil" (white/pale orange). 

You can order the Boog75 now — it's on its third batch, which is set to see delivery in May — for $229.99.

Design and Construction of the Boog75

The Boog75 is a wired gaming keyboard with a 75-percent layout — slightly smaller than a TKL, with one column of navigation keys instead of a three-by-two cluster. It comes pre-built in two colors: "Shockwave" — black with bright mint green accents and "Induction Coil" — white with light orange accents.

Our review unit came in the Induction Coil colorway, which features a matte white aluminum case with etched curvy striations on the sides, painted light orange. The keyboard also comes with themed double-shot PBT keycaps in a Cherry profile: sculpted, contoured rows that are lower-profile than the typical OEM profile. The keycaps have light orange printed legends and are not shine-through (though the keyboard does have backlighting), with smooth, sculpted tops.

The keyboard measures 12.74 inches (323.6mm) wide by 5.74 inches (145.78mm) deep, and is 1.37 inches (34.73mm) high at its thickest point, not counting the keycaps. The case is around 0.75 inches (19.05mm) high in the front (excluding the keycaps), which is high enough that you may want to use a wrist rest with this keyboard. The keyboard doesn't come with a wrist rest, but Meletrix sells a $15 wooden wrist rest sized to fit its Zoom75 (which has the same dimensions as the Boog75). The keyboard's USB-C port is located on the back of the case, at the center.

The etched pattern from the sides of the keyboard carries over to the backplate (also made of aluminum) in gold and white. Also on the back of the keyboard are four small anti-slip rubber oval feet — they might not seem like much, but they're plenty for keeping this keyboard from slipping. Meletrix lists the Boog75's total weight at "about 3kg," but it's nowhere near that. I weighed this keyboard several times using multiple scales, and our review unit weighed in at just 4.28 pounds (1,941g) without accessories.

The Boog75 comes packed in a sturdy, padded, zipped Meletrix-branded case. The case has two velcro straps to keep the keyboard securely in place, as well as a mesh pocket in the lid to store the keyboard's accessories.

Inside the box, you'll find a simple black braided coiled USB-C to USB-A cable. The cable measures approximately 3.5 feet minus the coil (the coiled section is about 5 inches long). The keyboard also comes with a couple of allen wrenches sized to fit the case's screws, for those who want to open up the keyboard and tinker or perform case mods.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Boog75

The Boog75 comes with Gateron KS-37B Magnetic Hall Sensor switches, which have an initial force of 30 ±10gf, a bottom out force of 50 ±10gf, and 4mm total travel. While traditional mechanical switches actuate via physical contact, magnetic switches actuate by sensing the change in current of a magnetic field. This means a couple of things — first, because there's no physical contact, the switches are more durable (the Gateron KS-37B switches are rated for 150 million keypresses). Second, because the switches actuate by measuring a change in current, the actuation point can be set to the nearest 0.1mm (between 0.1mm and 4.0mm). 

Typing on the Boog75 feels and sounds fantastic. In fact, this is, hands-down, the best-sounding prebuilt keyboard I've ever used. The keycaps are thick, with a premium-feeling smoothe, matte finish and lightly curved tops that prevent your fingers from slipping too much. Keypresses are smooth and consistent, with no wobble or scratchiness — and it just sounds so good. The stabilizers are very well-lubed, and the case's combined heft and built-in sound dampening is excellent. Typing on this keyboard is sublimely thocky-sounding, with zero case ping or reverb. The keyboard comes with tools for opening the case in case you want to fine-tune and customize the sound — but you definitely don't need to.

The Boog75 also offers a solid gaming experience, though it lacks some of the features gamers might be looking for. The KS-37B magnetic switches are silent, speedy, and stable, and the keyboard's 1,000 Hz polling rate is low-latency enough for most gamers. Each key's actuation point can be adjusted individually to the nearest 0.1mm, and — like other magnetic switches — feature Rapid Trigger, which dynamically adjusts the activation/reset point to match based on travel distance. (This allows for much faster keypresses, because you aren't limited by a set reset point before you can re-activate the key — hence, "Rapid Trigger.") 

The keyboard does lack some of the features gamers might be looking for, however, such as the ability to quickly switch between profiles (you can save three profiles via the keyboard's software, but you'll need to connect to the software to switch), extra media keys or a volume/rotary knob, or even game mode.

Features and Software of the Boog75

The Boog75 is configurable via custom online software. Online software, while convenient, does raise some questions about the keyboard's future usability — what happens if Meletrix stops supporting the keyboard, or the page goes down for... any reason? The software has an interface similar to VIA and it seems to work well enough — I didn't have any issues connecting the keyboard, and, for the most part, things update in real time — but it's not the most intuitive software I've used. 

By that, of course, I mean it's... pretty confusing.

The software allows you to remap keys, change the keyboard's backlighting, and configure the magnetic switches' actuation points and Rapid Trigger. Remapping keys is fairly straightforward — just drag and drop keybindings and media functions onto the keys of your choice.

You can map keybindings up to four layers deep; the only keys you can't remap on lower layers are the F2 and F3 keys, which control volume up/down. These keys are pre-mapped to show off the magnetic switches' advantages — the volume increases/decreases faster the harder you press each key. (It's a little annoying that these can't be remapped, however, because F2 controls volume up and F3 controls volume down — and having the left key control volume up and the right key control volume down is the opposite of intuitive.)

Adjusting the Boog75's actuation and Rapid Trigger settings are where the software gets especially confusing, however. First, this is all done in one section, called "Rapid Trigger." In this section there's a slider for adjusting "RT Sensitivity Settings," which seems to suggest you're adjusting the sensitivity of the Rapid Trigger function. But this appears to be where you adjust the switches' actuation point — you can pick a sensitivity between 1 and 20, with 1 being the lowest sensitivity and 20 being the highest. I'm not sure why there are only 20 steps when you're supposed to be able to adjust the actuation by 0.1mm increments, between 0.1mm and 4mm (39 steps).

If you go into the RT "Advanced Settings," you can adjust the activation and reset actuation points separately — and here, you can adjust each point by 0.1mm increments. However, I'm not entirely clear on what this means, since Rapid Trigger is supposed to mean that these points adjust... dynamically. Also, this slider goes from 0.1mm to 4mm, meaning sensitivity decreases from left to right — the opposite of the RT Sensitivity Settings, where sensitivity increases from left to right. (It's a minor incongruity, but this is what I meant when I said this software is not at all intuitive.)

You can also set up 20 keys with a "advanced key functions," which include Dynamic Keystroke (up to 4 different actions on one key, activated at different parts of the key press), Mod Tap (2 different actions on one key, activated by holding down or tapping the key), and Toggle Key (toggle an action by tapping the key, activate the action normally by holding it down). The software lets you save up to three digital profiles, but you'll need to switch between them by connecting to the software — not exactly the seamless switching you'll find on other gaming keyboards.

As for lighting: Meletrix promises per-key RGB lighting, but the software currently doesn't allow you to customize lighting on a per-key basis. It also only features nine preset effects with lackluster customization options. This could improve, however, as the company updates the software.

The Bottom Line

Meletrix may be advertising the Boog75 as the enthusiasts' gaming keyboard, but it's definitely more of an enthusiast keyboard than it is a gaming keyboard. The only real appeal to gamers here are the magnetic switches — but just about every gaming keyboard we've seen so far this year has had magnetic switches, so that's not exactly a unique selling point. 

When it comes to magnetic switches with adjustable actuation, software is a pretty important factor, and the Boog75's online software is confusing and somewhat limited. The keyboard is also fairly software-dependent at this time — there's no on-keyboard way to switch between profiles or adjust the switches' actuation points/sensitivity, like there is on Arbiter Studio's Polar 65. If you're looking to jump on the magnetic switch train, you have plenty of options — such as the 75-percent Akko MOD007B-HE PC, which has the same layout (but with a volume knob), Kailh Sakura Pink magnetic switches, and costs half the price of the Boog75. 

Don't get me wrong: the Boog75 is a fantastic keyboard in just about every way — sturdy, all-premium build, incredible sound, and amazing to type on (in fact, my husband stole it immediately and only reluctantly parted with it periodically so I could test it). But it's not quite as fantastic for gaming.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Why buy a 60% keyboard? Well, that's the rub, it's primarily used for FPS gamers looking to free up desk space and has more room for flicking the mouse about for aiming those headshots, but if you're not a pro gamer and you use your keyboard for work i.e spreadsheets, then not having a number pad can be a real pain. The same with the missing function row and other keys. Yes, you can still use them with the aid of a modifier key, but it becomes a little more fiddly. This is a keyboard size with a purpose and you must decide if it's right for you. 

Best Buy has a super deal on a compact 60% gaming keyboard from Corsair thanks to a clearance sale price. You can grab the Corsair's K70 Pro Mini wireless for just $63 a staggering 65% discount from the original $179 asking price; saving a substantial $116. The K70 Pro Mini isn't a cheap keyboard and is made more expensive by having a white color scheme which always seems to command a higher price tag; so seeing it at this reduced price makes it a desirable proposition. 

The Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless uses Corsair's hyper-fast, sub-1ms Slipstream  Wireless protocols for connectivity, but can also connect via Bluetooth if needed. The keyboard itself has an adjustable tilt function for improving personal typing ergonomics and comes with a 61-key layout. Included are linear Cherry MX Speed switches that have an actuation distance of 1.2mm and an actuation force of 45grams, but the PCB is hot-swappable so if you have a preferred switch type then you can always swap them out or easily replace a faulty/worn switch. 

We've had the opportunity to review the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless and gave it a score of 3.5 stars. We noted that the keyboards' price was very expensive and that the switches felt quite scratchy in use as cons of this keeb, with positives being its outstanding responsiveness, exceptional programmability, and desk space-saving size. This deal negates the negatives around the price, making the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless a much more attractive keyboard.

The HyperX Alloy Rise takes its cues from the world of custom mechanical keyboards. It’s designed around customization and top-tier typing, offering one of the best typing experiences of any gaming keyboard from a major brand available today. With pre-lubed, hot-swappable switches, swappable top cases and badges, and a soft, gasket mount structure, as well as 8kHz polling and full software programmability, the Alloy Rise splits the distance between gaming and custom keyboards, and is remarkably good overall. 

While not quite perfect in fit and function, the Alloy Rise is a prime contender to be one of the best gaming keyboards of the year. Its biggest drawback, however, is its price. At $199.99 for the full-size version and $169.99 for the more compact 75-percent layout, its MSRP undermines its features. It’s good, but when keyboards such as the  Drop CSTM80 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 exist for less, the Alloy Rise doesn't feel like the best deal. 

HyperX Alloy Rise Specs 

Design of the HyperX Alloy Rise

At first glance, the HyperX Alloy Rise appears to be a pretty standard full-size gaming keyboard. It has a traditional black chassis that isn’t afraid to throw a rainbow wave at you the moment you plug it in. When you look a little closer — and especially when you type on the Alloy Rise — it quickly becomes apparent that there’s more happening here than meets the eye.

It’s 2024, post- the COVID-19 custom keyboard trend, and pretty much all of the big brands have released enthusiast-grade gaming keyboards that take inspiration from the custom mechanical keyboard community. The Alloy Rise is the latest to jump on this trend and this keyboard embraces customization and quality typing in a way that HyperX’s keyboards have never done before. 

Like the Drop CSTM80, the Alloy Rise uses a magnetic alloy top case that can be pulled off and swapped with another without using a single tool. There’s also a swappable metal badge that attaches along the right side. This can also be pulled off or set back in place with a satisfying snap — tool-free.

It’s a neat feature, but as of this writing you can’t really do anything with it just yet. I was sent an alternative top and badge set to try, but the alternatives aren't yet available to purchase.  The documentation I was sent says that there should at least be navy and white tops to consider, as well as three different sets of badges (Abstract, 8-Bit, and Cute, sold in sets of four). I do hope they release more in time — as Drop has done — because it’s a neat way to change-up the look of your keyboard. 

As you might imagine from a keyboard themed around customization, the Alloy Rise features hot-swappable switches and uses a completely standard layout that lets you easily add your own aftermarket keycaps. The PCB supports both 3-pin and 5-pin switches, so just about any switch or keycap set will work with it.

At least — if you pick up the full-size version. HyperX is launching this keyboard in both a traditional 104-key layout, as well as a compact 75-percent version for those who prefer mousing space over a dedicated number pad. The 75-percent version takes some liberties with its keys (the Right Shift key is a bit shorter and there’s an extra F13 key to consider), but most aftermarket keycaps sets will still support it. 

You may not want to change either, however, because both are very good by gaming keyboard standards. The keycaps are made of double-shot PBT, which is resistant to wear and tear for increased durability. They’re also very thick, which enhances their sound and how solid they feel under your fingers. And, because lighting is a core aspect of customization, they also feature backlit legends that allow the keyboard’s per-key RGB lighting to shine through, bright and consistent, across the entire keyset.

The Alloy Rise comes with your choice of linear or tactile switches. Both options are pre-lubed for smoothness and acoustics and have a faster 1.8mm actuation difference. Is it enough that you can feel the difference? That's debatable, but the difference is there. The switches also have box-style stems to help with wobble, so they’re as stable as they are smooth. 

The construction of the keyboard is layered — literally. The swappable top cases are made of metal but the bottom, including its single-stage tilt feet, are plastic. Internally, it uses a plastic switch mounting plate on top of a layer of foam for soft bottom-outs. I didn’t disassemble this keyboard (there are enough screws where it seems clear that you’re not intended to), but I suspect there’s an additional layer of foam or silicone in the bottom of the case, too.

The combined effect of these foams is to remove any errant vibration or hollowness from the case, isolating the sound of the switches. This makes the keyboard sound more crisp, clean, and quiet. The Alloy Rise is arguably volume-matched to a typical membrane keyboard, which is pretty impressive for a mechanical set of keys. 

The circuit board and plate assembly rests on flexible gaskets surrounding the keys. This gasket mount structure isolates keystrokes and provides a cushion for each press. Full-size gasket mounted keyboards aren’t common and those that exist tend to offer minimal reaction when typing normally — but that’s definitely not the case here. Looking closely, you can see that each key gives, subtly, under normal typing pressure, making it easy to type on without experiencing the early fatigue — typical of most gaming keyboards — from slamming against a rigid structure.

On the gaming front, HyperX has designed the keyboard to be exceptionally responsive. In addition to its smooth, faster-actuating switches, the Alloy Rise also features an 8,000Hz polling rate. The majority of gaming keyboards operate at 1,000Hz, which means they report key presses to the computer every millisecond (1ms response time). This keyboard reports key presses eight times more frequently, or every 0.125 milliseconds. Beyond 1ms, we're into the range of “you need to be a machine to tell the difference.” But if you’re a competitive player, it makes sense to get the highest performance peripheral you can afford — there's no blaming the keyboard for a delay with the Alloy Rise, which is as fast as it gets currently.

Apart from its gaming prowess, the Alloy Rise also features an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the backlight brightness to match the lighting in your environment. In a bright setting, it will ramp it up, and in a dark setting it will decrease the brightness so as not to distract you.

The keyboard's braided cable is also detachable, so you can swap it out with one of your own. HyperX is happy to sell you (separately, of course) an eye-catching coiled aviator cable to impress all of your fellow keyboard enthusiast friends. 

The Alloy Rise's onboard controls are surprisingly limited. There’s a click-to-mute volume knob and three media keys for controlling tracks, but there’s no way to cycle lighting effects unless you tie a different preset to each of its ten profiles. Instead, you can adjust brightness, enable or disable the ambient light sensor, turn on game mode, and swap profiles. You can add more Fn commands using the software — but, out of the box, that's it.

For $200, I really expected this keyboard to be wireless. The ASUS Strix Scope II 96 Wireless offers a similar typing experience, better programmability, and both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity for $180. The Alloy Rise is unmistakably great to use, but it really feels like you're paying a premium for the swappable cases (which the Drop CSTM80 has for $130) and 8K polling (which you likely won't even notice).

The typing experience of the HyperX Alloy Rise is outstanding. It is genuinely one of the best-feeling gaming keyboards I have used all year, and it easily ranks among the best currently on the market — including high-water marks such as the ASUS ROG Azoth, Strix Scope II 96, Corsair K65 Plus Wireless, and the Razer Blackwidow Pro V4 75.

HyperX clearly paid attention to what keyboard enthusiasts have been clamoring about over the last several years. The Alloy Rise is designed to deliver a typing experience that makes you want to come back to your computer for another round — or, as is usually the case with me, an extra page of writing.

The Alloy Rise's impressive typing experience starts with the keycaps, which are an impressive 1.5mm thick and have a solid, deep sound when bottomed out. They’re also textured to provide a bit of extra grip and they feel nice under the fingertips. 

Next up are the switches, which are very good. I was able to test both the linear and tactile switches and both are pre-lubed and are noticeably smoother than their Cherry MX Red and Brown counterparts. There’s no spring noise to speak of when typing, so all you hear are crisp, full-bodied keystrokes. As a bonus, they let enough light through the legends that you can easily type in the dark, even if you’re not a touch typist. 

The gasket mounting structure is the best implemented of any “big brand” gaming keyboard I’ve seen. It’s right up there with Keychron Q-series in how reactive it is to normal keystrokes. There’s noticeable movement when typing normally (which isn’t always the case), but it isn't so noticeable as to be distracting. Rather, the keystrokes are soft and responsive.

HyperX also did a great job with the stabilizers. They’re not the least bit rattly and are very stable. Though I didn’t disassemble the keyboard, it’s clear that the company took the time and applied a consistent coat of lubricant on the wires beneath the larger keys to make them sound as good as they do. 

Needless to say, I really enjoyed typing on the Alloy Rise. Between its solid build, thick keycaps, and smooth switches, it definitely achieves the same middle ground between gaming and enthusiast keyboards as its competitors. While I wouldn’t say the experience is “better” than the others, due to how subjective that term is at this level, it’s certainly on par with them — and it isn’t likely to disappoint with the quality of its keys.

During my time with the Alloy Rise, I played a heaping helping of Baldur’s Gate 3, but also dipped my toes into Battlefield 2042’s latest season, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and the classic, World of Warcraft. In every circumstance, the Alloy Rise rose to the occasion and carried me through.

I’ll tell you right now: I’m not a pro gamer, but I do enjoy competitive first-person shooters. I play games on a 240Hz monitor and I am sensitive to input lag and delay. There’s not an ounce of sluggishness in this keyboard. It transmits inputs instantaneously. When it came to running around the alleyways in COD’s Favela map or peeking from cover and rushing the flag on Battlefield 2042’s Exposure, I would put this keyboard up against any magnetic or optical gaming slate.

Much of the reason it feels so good to play games on the Alloy Rise is thanks to its switches. HyperX’s linear switches are a hair lighter and faster to actuate than Cherry MX Reds, which adds to their responsive feeling. The pre-lubing makes it easy to prime yourself for movement and — in my opinion, just as importantly — allows you to forget about the feeling of the switches in the moment and focus on your play. The lack of telltale Cherry scratchiness makes them feel more fluid when pressed.

The full-size layout isn’t the best for gamers that enjoy big mouse sweeps. The additional space to accommodate the number pad forces you to space your hands out more and leaves less room for mousing. If you’re a sweep-styled player but you like everything else about this keyboard, I recommend going for the 75-percent version to enjoy the best of both worlds. 

For MMOs, the number pad comes in handy as a macro pad. With NGENUITY (or even WoW’s in-game settings), I was able to map all of my skills and abilities to it. For my additional action bars, I tied those skills to modifier keys and the numbers (Shift+1, Shift+2, and so on). If you’re playing anything where you need extra remappable keys, the numpad comes in clutch. 

The Rise uses HyperX’s NGENUITY software for all of its customization options. As of this writing, this includes being able to remap most of the keys, assign macros, Windows shortcuts, multimedia functions, and mouse controls. The lighting for each key is also programmable and can be assigned in layers to create a wide array of custom effects and animations. 

While the software gets the job done and is decently polished, it feels very barebones. There are only two tabs — Lighting and Keys, and three toggles in the upper right that control brightness, enable game mode, and to choose one of your previously made presets. The NGENUITY software is sparse, but it's also pretty lightweight; it took up only about 210MB of my system’s memory.

NGENUITY gets the job done quickly for most things you would want to do. Changing a keymap is done by clicking the key you would like to change and then choosing what type of assignment you would like (Keyboard, Mouse, Macro, etc.). From there, you simply choose the option or press the key you would like mapped to that position. If you’d like to assign a macro (and you haven’t already recorded it) the Macro menu gives you an option to record a new one on the spot — it’s streamlined and straightforward.

The software allows you to map functions to either the Base or Fn layer. The former replaces the normal key matching the keycap. The Fn layer allows you to map actions as secondary functions, whenever that key is held. You can’t overwrite the built-in commands, but most keys are still free. My biggest gripe is that you can’t remap the Fn to another location. Versions of this functionality have been available in gaming keyboards for years (Razer’s HyperShift, for example), and it allows you to free up how you access different commands to a way that works for you.

Programming the Alloy Rise's RGB lighting is straightforward and intuitive. There are 11 lighting effects (12, if you count static colors) that can be assigned to the whole keyboard or to individual keys. The effects can also be layered — so you can have a background effect, such as a rainbow wave, and also set each key’s lighting to respond when pressed.

NGENUITY was mostly stable and it didn’t outright crash on me but it did break at least once. After recording, then canceling a macro, it stopped registering inputs at all inside the recording window. Only restarting the program made it work correctly again.

I was also surprised that there was no option to configure the Alloy Rise's polling rate. 8,000Hz is intensive and can eat CPU resources, so it’s common for manufacturers to provide an option to set it back to 1,000Hz. I didn’t notice any performance strain on my system, but I also have a high-powered rig. Without any way to lower its connection speed, gamers with older processors may want to think twice about picking the Rise up.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Alloy Rise is an excellent gaming keyboard that feels great to use and performs just as well in games. Its pre-lubed switches and well-implemented gasket mount structure make it smooth, soft, and reasonably quiet for use in an office or with roommates. It’s easy to customize, whether you want to pop on an alternate top case or side badge, or swap in your  own switches, keycaps, or detachable cable. The Alloy Rise is designed to be made your own.

But for all of its strengths, the asking price just feels too high. The keyboard's hallmark feature — the swappable case — is already readily available on the Drop CSTM80, which is a fantastic keyboard and is much cheaper. And the ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 goes toe-to-toe with the Alloy Rise when it comes to sound, feel, and gaming functionality, while also saving desk space and offering excellent wireless performance for $20 less. 

What it comes down to is how much you value having that top case be metal (most of the CSTM80’s are plastic), and how important 8K polling is to you. If you don’t mind playing wired and you want a keyboard that feels as premium as its price, lets you customize its aesthetic, and puts a premium on speed, the HyperX Alloy Rise is absolutely worth considering. For everyone else, it's safe to consider the alternatives while you wait for a sale.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

It’s been a long time coming, but the wait is finally over: the Logitech G Pro X 60 has arrived. It features an ultra-compact 60-percent layout that, like the best gaming keyboards, is well suited for competitive gaming. Logitech has been a leader in the peripheral industry for years, but while its competitors have released multiple models addressing the ultra-compact keyboard market, Logitech has stayed quiet. The reason: before releasing its own take on the mini gaming keyboard, the company wanted to address the biggest issues facing the layout and why so many people find it difficult to use. 

For the most part, Logitech succeeded in its goal. The Pro 60 X is an impressive keyboard that’s fast, responsive under the fingers, and offers enough programmability to overcome the most common challenges newcomers to the layout are likely to face. But it's not perfect, and its high price makes it a harder sell than it should be.

Logitech G Pro X 60 Specs

Design of the Logitech G Pro X 60

If you’ve seen a 60-percent keyboard before, then you know what to expect from the Logitech G Pro X  60. If you haven't, then you might be in for a surprise at just how small this keyboard is. Measuring only 11.4 inches (289.6mm) long and 4.1 inches (104.1mm) wide, it looks downright miniature even compared to a TKL. It’s the fun-sized version of a gaming keyboard.

It takes no liberties with the layout. Like all 60-percents, all you’re getting is the core keyset. You have your alphas and modifiers (the main typing keys) and the number row. That’s it. No arrow keys. No function row. No dedicated navigation and editing buttons. Minimalism at its finest is also this keyboard’s reason for existing. It’s designed to give you only what you need and get out of the way (literally). 

The point of embracing such a small layout is to leave more space on your desk for your mouse hand. In the world of competitive first-person shooters and esports, it’s common to see pro players make big sweeps with their mouse. The combination of a high DPI and low in-game sensitivity can increase accuracy. And if you’re playing competitively, you probably don’t need all of the extra keys on a tenkeyless anyway. 

And so, the Logitech G Pro X 60, as well as the Steelseries Apex Pro Mini, Razer Huntsman Mini, and Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless, are all here to deliver on the promise of miniature keys that pack a programmable punch. Each has a lot to offer and while they're more alike than they are different, the Pro 60 X has a few tricks up its sleeve that make it worth considering.

Viewed from the top down, it’s pretty much identical to the competition. Core keys, thin bezels, standard rectangle. Upon closer inspection, however, it quickly becomes apparent that this is the most robust-feeling of the bunch, and is only a few grams away from being the heaviest (the Corsair K70 Pro Mini holds that title for now). At 616 grams, it weighs as much as many TKLs thanks to its hefty and inflexible metal switch plate. The bottom is plastic but there’s absolutely no flex, creak, or anything to worry about with the build quality — even on close examination. And just to be doubly-sure that it will be battle ready by the time you arrive at your tournament, it comes with a hardshell travel case to keep it safe in transit.

There are controls on each side of the keyboard. They're nearly flush so they’re hard to see when you're looking down at it. There’s a pinky-accessible volume wheel on the left — intentionally positioned so you can quickly flick it to adjust your levels mid-match, without taking your fingers from the movement keys. A Game Mode switch is on the right and it’s basically impossible to trigger by accident, so you don’t need to worry when moving it from place to place. Dedicated media controls and any extra buttons at all are pretty much unheard of on a 60-percent, which makes these simple additions pretty novel.

On the back are four silicone non-slip feet, as well as a pair of standard single-stage tilt feet that allow it to raise from a 4.5-degree typing angle to eight degrees. There’s also a built-in compartment for storing the LIGHTSPEED wireless dongle, so you don’t need to worry about losing it when you're traveling or otherwise not using it. 

Visually, the Pro X 60 is a very simple keyboard. It comes in white, black, or magenta. We were sent the white version and the branding is minimal. There’s a black “G” accent key on the Escape button and a white-on-white “PRO” logo on the front, making it easy to miss (the other colors are more prominent, however). It has per-key RGB but doesn’t default to the standard rainbow wave like other gaming keyboards. Instead, it’s set to a cool static blue to avoid distracting you while you play. 

The keycaps are made of doubleshot PBT and are backlit but are otherwise pretty middle-of-the-road. They’re 1.2mm thick, which is an improvement from the 1mm ABS ‘caps you'll find on many gaming keyboards, but isn't exceptionally thick, either, — you won't get that deep “thock” sounds that’s taken over keyboard YouTube. They’re comfortable to use, and, since they’re PBT, should last just about forever without taking on that oily sheen gaming keyboards typically get.

I do have one thing I need to nitpick, here: Instead of using symbols for the modifier keys, Logitech used full words. The lighting is bright but it doesn’t fully cover the entire length of longer legends — such as Shift (or even Caps) — leading to dark spots at either end of the word. The other keys are very consistent, so this spottiness really stands out. 

Like most tiny keyboards, the Pro X 60 makes up for missing dedicated keys with secondary functions, which are accessed by holding the Fn key. There are side legends across the number row and on most of the letter keys, so you can tell at a glance which key does what. These are not backlit, so I wouldn’t advise gaming in the dark until you learn them, or you map your own commands.

Which brings us to KEYCONTROL, one of the Pro 60 X’s most unique and compelling features. 

While there’s a dedicated Fn button for accessing all of the secondary functions (pretty much everything you would find on a TKL, plus lighting and onboard memory controls), KEYCONTROL allows you to map a whole second layer of G-Shift keys, available with a freely selectable G-Shift key in the Logitech G Hub software. 

Most importantly, this G-Shift key doesn’t need to be on the actual keyboard. You can map it to any other Logitech G peripheral you own, such as a mouse. This means that you can map a whole second layer of commands and access them with, for example, the thumb buttons on your mouse — ensuring that you’re never unable to move or aim. 

Or you could be like me, and remap all of the Fn functions you need on the G-Shift layer instead — and get rid of the awful finger acrobatics required to access them with the actual Fn key. The biggest problem facing ultra-compact keyboards is simply learning how to use them, and I firmly believe this has a lot to do with the awkward placement of the Fn key on the right side — directly beneath other keys you’ll also need to press with your right hand. (On top of that, there isn’t any consistency or logic to where these keys actually are.) You will, for sure, spend time stopping what you’re doing, squinting down at the keyboard to pick out what’s printed on the side legends, and then be irritated at what a pain the entire process was. 

KEYCONTROL addresses this by allowing you to map the G-Shift key anywhere that works for you. You can use it for the missing buttons and make the keyboard more useful for writing and productivity or create layouts for individual games and apps. It's the perfect solution because you can set it and modify it to make sense for you — a simple concept, but one that's game-changing in practice.

If the concept of layering sounds familiar, it should. It has been a prominent feature in custom keyboards for years and it's one I’ve written about extensively. KEYCONTROL takes it further by allowing you to add up to five separate commands to every key. These can be triggered by pressing or releasing (readying a skill and launching it upon release, for example), holding a key, pressing it normally, or using Shift, Ctrl, or Alt as modifiers. You’re also able to choose from a long list of Windows commands, shortcuts, or evening launching individual programs with a single button press. And, of course, to trigger recordable macros. 

This isn’t a revolutionary feature, and it's only a little removed from other systems, such as Razer's HyperShift. But it’s easy to use, incredibly important, and does take it a step further because you can set the activation key to other peripherals and map five different commands to each key. Let’s be real: how many of us are swapping to different keyboards just for gaming? This functionality makes the Pro 60 X far more functional as an actual day-to-day keyboard on top of excelling at gaming. 

Underneath the keycaps, the Pro 60 X uses Logitech’s GX Optical switches. They’re available in linear or tactile versions and are slightly heavier than their Cherry MX counterparts. My sample had linear switches and they seem to be pre-lubed for smoothness. They also actuate slightly faster but it’s so close you probably won’t notice a difference. 

Optical switches have been a thing in gaming keyboards for several years now. They’re theoretically faster due to the lack of mechanical contacts preventing electrical debounce delay. However, you almost certainly won't notice a difference if you're not a machine, despite what marketing wants you to believe. That doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering, though. If you’re a pro player (or pro-aspiring) you want every advantage you can find, and choosing a faster switch makes sense.

Logitech rates these for 50 million presses each, which is oddly conservative. They’re on par with older Cherry MX switches but are only rated for half the lifetime of optical switches from SteelSeries and Razer. Regardless, the lack of physical contacts means there are less parts to wear down and fail over time. 

What you won’t get is any kind of adjustable actuation or Rapid Trigger functionality. Those features are still reserved for magnetic Hall Effect keyboards like the Wooting HE. Given that magnetic gaming keyboards are the trend of 2024 so far, Logitech’s decision to go optical will inherently decrease its competitiveness as more are released.

I also think Logitech missed a key opportunity to increase the polling rate with this release. Other gaming keyboards, like the Razer Huntsman V2 Pro, have been sporting 2,000, 4,000, or even 8,000 Hz polling (0.125ms) for more than two years. The Pro 60 X is still locked to 1,000 Hz (1ms), no matter how you connect.   

The keyboard does sport reliable wireless connectivity, however. You can pair it with up to three devices over Bluetooth or use Logitech’s much faster 2.4GHz LIGHTSPEED wireless. Logitech states that its LIGHTSPEED tech undergoes extensive validation to ensure that it operates at its best — even if you’re playing in a crowded arena filled with other wireless devices. 

Battery life is decent, but could be better. It’s rated for up to 65 hours but Logitech doesn’t mention whether this is over Bluetooth or LIGHTSPEED or if the lighting needs to be off to reach that. In my testing, I was able to make it through a work week with a slow rainbow wave lighting effect and LIGHTSPEED with a small amount of battery to spare, so it looks like you’ll need to recharge it once a week depending on how you play. 

The Logitech G Pro 60 X optical linear switches should feel immediately familiar to most gamers. They’re very close to Cherry, Gateron, or Kailh red switches but are slightly heavier and faster to actuate. With an actuation force of 50g, they’re five grams heavier than Cherry MX Reds, and they have an actuation point of 1.8mm instead of 2.0mm. The tactile version has the same specs but has a heavier actuation force of 60g. Despite being heavier, I found that they felt snappier under the fingers, perhaps thanks to the spring used.

Typing on the keyboard feels good. That snappiness makes it feel very responsive and lively. The keycaps are slightly textured and almost seem to cradle your fingers in place, helping to increase accuracy. Logitech also did a nice job pre-lubing the stabilizers, so there’s very little rattle. 

I used the keyboard as my daily driver for a solid week. I wrote multiple articles, played games, replied to emails, and performed other daily tasks with it. It’s low enough that I didn’t need to use a palm rest, freeing up some additional desk space. My typing speed actually increased from 111 WPM on my daily driver to an average of 115 WPM — including tying my personal best score on more than one occasion. (One day, I’ll break 122 WPM, I swear.) 

I’ve used tiny keyboards off and on over the years, both personally and professionally. It’s not an overstatement to say that 60-percent keyboards have a steep learning curve. If you’ve never used one before and choose not to customize it for yourself, you will almost certainly find yourself glancing down at those side legends for basic functions, such as Page Up and Page Down and arrow keys. I believe this is what drives so many people away from the layout, even though the size makes these keyboards so easy to travel with. 

One of the things compact custom keyboard users will tell you is that layering is one of the most important qualities of making the layout usable. And they should know: they learned this long ago, before sixty percent keyboards ever came into the mainstream. In my case, I set Caps Lock to be my G-Shift key and remapped the arrow keys to under the right side of Home Row. All of my navigation and editing buttons surround that and the Number Row takes on a section life as F1 through F12. With these changes, the keyboard feels far more functional and easy to use. 

Looking at the side legends, you’ll notice that much of it is already set up this way and I’ve ported over these commands, shifting them to slightly different locations. What’s important in this is 1) it eliminates the finger gymnastics entirely, and 2) when you make these changes, they cater specifically to you. Take the time to put the keys where it makes sense for you, set the layer shift to a comfortable location (a mouse button is perfect), and you won’t have nearly as difficult of a time getting used to this layout.

Gaming Experience of the Logitech G Pro X 60

When it comes to gaming, the Logitech G Pro X 60 is a performer. I tested it with a mix of games, from Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends to Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake, and even some World of Warcraft. The responsiveness of the optical switches was great. Keystrokes felt instant and I was never left wondering if I'd messed up or if the keyboard failed (it was always me).

The board's programmability really shines in gaming. When you load G Hub for the first time, it automatically picks up all of your installed games and creates profiles for them. These are empty by default, but G Hub automatically switches to a game's profile upon launch. If you take the time to program individual layouts for games (like I did with BG3), the keyboard remembers all of your keybinds and just works. 

I’m not huge into macros and deep levels of programming, but it’s easy to see how the options G Hub provides you could be clutch in competitive games and MMORPGs. Simple actions, such as sending a macro only when a key is released, allowed me to prep an AOE when pressing a button down, fire it on release, and immediately start the follow up spell in my rotation. It all comes down to playstyle, of course, but the Pro X 60 lets you get creative, which is always a welcome feature.

The size benefits are obvious if you’re a big sweep kind of player. I am not, though I have tried many times to become one. It’s certainly nice to have the extra desk space even if you aren't that kind of player, however. 

The Pro 60 X makes extensive use of the Logitech G Hub software. This is important enough that I would suggest looking at an entirely different keyboard if you aren’t keen on using it. Taking advantage of G-Shift requires spending a good amount of time setting it up, and it’s also where you’ll set up any custom lighting you might be interested in.

The software is broken into three tabs for lighting, key assignments, and personalizing what keys are active or disabled in Game Mode. The Lighting tab offers you nine customizable preset effects and animations, including a screen sampler and audio visualizer. You can also create your own static lighting scheme or even full-fledged animations, which is pretty neat and surprisingly accessible. 

You’ll spend the most time with the Assignments tab. This screen displays your current layout and gives you access to three different layers for your Base keyset, what’s active when you hold Fn, and what’s active when you press and hold your G-Shift key. There’s also a preset button for enabling or disabling G-Shift entirely so you don’t hit it by accident.

Assigning keys and functions is easy to wrap your head around, but it takes too many clicks and gets tedious fast. To assign a key, you first click on it. From there, you click again to choose what you would like to do with that key. From there, you’re taken to another menu, where you click again, and again, and again, and again. It takes a total of seven clicks and four menus to remap a single key — that has to be a record.

It seems to be a case of over-optimizing to the point where it's actually creating extra steps. Rather than display mapping options in a menu to the left, like has been the case in the past, this version of G Hub nests menus and options inside of each other. It looks clean and is hard to mess up, but it’s like a Russian nesting doll of tedium.

Once you have your key selected, you can add up to four additional commands to that key tied to press, release, and hold inputs, and Alt, Shift, and Ctrl modifiers by following the same process. Using this system, you could tie all of your media controls to a single key — as pictured above — or several in-game commands or productivity macros. It’s certainly powerful.

Unfortunately, the software does seem to have some bugs. Print Screen isn’t a selectable option for remapping at all, and if you try to add it manually through a macro it simply... doesn’t work. I also had an issue where G-Shift got locked on, and I had to restart the software to fix it.

When you’ve made all of your changes, these can be saved to the keyboard’s three onboard memory profiles to travel to different computers. You won’t need the software at all then and can swap between them on the fly with built-in shortcut keys for each profile.

Bottom Line

The Logitech G Pro X 60 is a solidly-built mini keyboard that feels good to use and offers gamers plenty of options to make the keyboard, and their gaming experience, their own. The freedom afforded by G-Shift lowers the barrier to entry enough that it could actually help gamers close the compactness gap and use this as their do-it-all keyboard. The depth of the programming options per key is rich enough that even existing 60-percent users may be tempted to give it a try.

Maybe. If you don’t have a Logitech mouse to map G-Shift to, or don’t need multiple actions tied to single keys, the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless offers great programmability with fewer steps, 8,000 Hz polling, and mechanical speed switches that are noticeably faster than that Pro 60 X’s optical linears. It’s also the same price — or cheaper if you can catch it on sale. Wrapping your head around Logitech’s G Hub software is easier, however, so it still wins points for accessibility — which this form factor desperately needs. 

The Logitech G Pro X 60 has been a long time coming, and it’s a pretty good showing now that it's finally here. It has its foibles, but its accessibility, reliability, and performance make it a compelling alternative to what’s currently on the market, especially if you’re already in the Logitech ecosystem. Like all mini keyboards, the Pro X 60 takes time to set up properly — but if you do, you might just find that this miniature layout is surprisingly efficient.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Your keyboard is your primary connection to your PC — a new keyboard will give you a much more noticeable difference than just about any other upgrade, and it's much cheaper than a new GPU.

Keyboards are pretty personal for all users, but they're especially personal for gamers: you need a gaming keyboard that's speedy and accurate, and that doesn't get in the way of your mouse swiping. You might be looking for something on the smooth and silent side, but you also need to find a balance between speed and satisfaction — after all, you'll eventually need to... well, actually type on this thing.

Your keyboard will be your main sidekick as you navigate complicated battle maps, vast open worlds, and rapid-fire team chats. We've tested hundreds of gaming keyboards in every size, color, style, and switch type, and these are the best we've found for a variety of different gaming setups. This list includes both wired and wireless gaming keyboards in every price range; if you've narrowed down your criteria, check out our more specific lists of the best wireless gaming keyboards and the best budget mechanical keyboards.

Prime Day Exceptional Gaming Keyboard Deal

This is a standout deal from the Prime Day event, which is currently taking place. Our list of best overall picks continues below.

Best Gaming Keyboard Overall

I rotate keyboards pretty frequently, but there's one I keep coming back to: the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless. The ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is an excellent option for gaming, typing, and everything in between — it's well-built and it feels fantastic, it has plenty of keys (including a 10-key numberpad) but it won't take up too much desk space, and it's wireless with tri-mode connectivity and a whopping 1,500 hours of battery life (over 2.4GHz wireless, with the lighting turned off). Of the mainstream gaming peripherals makers, Asus is the only company that has managed to really bring enthusiast-style upgrades into what is still, first and foremost, a gaming keyboard.

The ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless has a 96-percent layout — which is like a full-size layout, minus a handful of keys (and squashed together). While the layout does take some getting used to if you're coming from a full-size keyboard, once you get the hang of it it's the best of both worlds: a practically full-size keyboard with a 10-key numberpad that's more compact than some TKLs. The Strix Scope II 96 Wireless measures 14.84 x 5.16 x 1.57 inches (377 x 131 x 40 mm), which makes it smaller than our favorite TKL (the Lemokey L3, which measures 15.78 x 5.39 x 1.69 inches / 401 x 137 x 43 mm). It does come with an optional magnetic wrist rest, but it's low enough in front that I never felt a wrist rest was necessary.

It's also sturdily-built — it weighs 2.23 pounds (1012g), which is heavy enough that you'll appreciate the heft, but not so heavy that you couldn't reasonably travel with it. The keyboard has an aluminum alloy top plate and double-shot PBT keycaps (a nice touch — most mainstream companies still ship their flagship keyboards with ABS keycaps) and a plastic chassis that ensures an uninterrupted, low-latency wireless connection. While the 96-percent layout doesn't leave much room for extra shortcut/macro keys, Asus did manage to stuff a multi-function key and clickable roller in the upper right corner, which lets you control volume, media, and lighting, and also has a customizable mode that can be programmed in Armoury Crate.

The ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless comes with Asus's ROG NX Snow (linear) or Storm (tactile) mechanical switches preinstalled — I tested the linear RX Snow switches, which are pre-lubed and have an actuation force of 45g and an actuation point of 1.8mm. I'm not the biggest fan of linear switches in general, but the NX Snow switches did offer a silent, smooth, stable "refined" feel — and even I couldn't find too much to complain about. Plus, the keyboard's PCB is hot-swappable, so you can fully customize your typing experience by swapping in any mechanical switches (it supports both 3- and 5-pin switches) you like.

A keyboard doesn't have to be wireless to grab the top spot on our list, but this one is — with both low-latency 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as wired (via USB-C). And this keyboard's battery life is impressive — to say the least. Asus rates the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless' battery life at 1,500 hours over 2.4GHz wireless — with the lighting turned off, of course — which is, well... plenty.

Read: Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless Review

Best Full-Size Gaming Keyboard

If you've got the desk space, a full-size gaming keyboard is absolutely worth it. The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro is Razer's premium full-size wired gaming keyboard and it's completely decked out with eight dedicated macro keys/buttons (five keys, three side buttons), a tactile, multi-function "Command Dial," and bright, immersive backlighting and underglow that extends to the included wrist rest.

The BlackWidow V4 Pro is on the larger side — and it comes with a detachable wrist rest, so the full setup takes up even more space. It measures 18.25 x 6 x 1 inches (464 x 152 x 25 mm), not including the keycaps, and the wrist rest is about 3.25 inches (82.6 mm) deep, making the full dimensions 18.25 x 9.25 inches (464 x 235 mm). The wrist rest is a plush, padded leatherette that attaches magnetically to the keyboard and extends the keyboard's underglow via a 5-pin connection point. The keyboard's underglow has 18 programmable zones without the wrist rest attached, and the wrist rest adds another 20 zones for a fully immersive, seamless blend of color (the keyboard also has per-key RGB).

The BlackWidow V4 Pro features an aluminum alloy top plate over a plastic chassis and ABS keycaps, with machined metal media keys (four in the upper right corner — previous track, play/pause, next track, mute) and a textured volume roller. On the left side of the keyboard there are five dedicated macro keys (labeled M1 - M5), as well as three dedicated macro buttons along the side of the chassis. Above the macro keys you'll find a programmable rotary knob — the "Command Dial," which is customizable through Razer Synapse and has a dedicated backlight to help you identify different modes. If you're looking for a keyboard with a lot of extra functionality, this is it — all of the BlackWidow V4 Pro's keys are programmable, and you can program up to 100 custom modes on the Command Dial (it ships with four preset modes activated: keyboard brightness, windows zoom, switch applications, and track jogging.

This keyboard is not hot-swappable, and it comes with your choice of either Razer Green (clicky) or Razer Yellow (linear) mechanical switches. Razer's Green clicky switches are a little heavier than other clicky switches, with 50g actuation force and an actuation point of 1.9mm, but I've always been a pretty big fan of how loud and obnoxious they are. The BlackWidow V4 Pro launched before Razer started experimenting with more enthusiast-style sound-dampening like you'll see in the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%, so it's definitely a bit pingy when you're typing — but maybe that only adds to the overall obnoxiously loud, clicky charm.

It's fantastic for gaming, however, with fully programmable keys (including the macro keys/buttons, media keys, volume roller, and Command Dial) and an extra layer via Razer HyperShift, up to five onboard profiles, full N-key rollover, and up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate. It's a wired keyboard, so you won't have to worry about the per-key lighting and underglow sapping battery life, and it features a USB passthrough port (which is somewhat of a rarity, even on full-size keyboards, these days).

There are, of course, some drawbacks to the BlackWidow V4 Pro — namely, its $230 price tag. It's hard to find a fully decked-out full-size gaming keyboard with all the features of the BlackWidow V4 Pro, but not everyone needs so many extra keys, buttons, dials, and lights. The $100 Corsair K70 Max RGB has a customizable rotary knob, while the $140 NZXT Function 2 has dedicated left-side media keys and a volume roller (none of these are programmable, however). If you're just looking for a full-size keyboard with no frills, the $110 HyperX Alloy Origins is a solid option that frequently goes on sale.

Read: Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro Review

Best TKL Gaming Keyboard

The Lemokey L3 is the first gaming keyboard from Keychron's spin-off brand, and it's a pretty impressive offering — especially if you're looking for a gaming keyboard that you'll also love typing on. The L3 is a wireless mechanical gasket mount keyboard with a hot-swappable PCB and a compact (but not too compact) TKL layout. It comes in both fully-assembled ($214) and barebone ($194) versions in three color variations (carbon black, navy blue, or space silver). The fully-assembled version comes with your choice of Gateron Jupiter Red (linear), Gateron Jupiter Brown (tactile), or Gateron Jupiter Banana (tactile) switches.

The L3 is definitely an enthusiast-focused gaming keyboard — it sports a very solid build with a CNC-machined 6063 aluminum chassis that weighs a hefty 4.36 pounds (1976g). This keyboard is on the larger side for a TKL, measuring 15.78 x 5.39 x 1.69 inches (401 x 137 x 43 mm). This layout gives you plenty of room between key clusters, as well as space for an extra row of macro keys and a rotary knob on the left side. All keys and the knob are programmable using the open-source firmware/software package QMK/VIA.

Typing on the L3 is fantastic, whether you're using the included Keychron-exclusive Gateron Jupiter switches or your own switches. The keyboard has a double gasket mount design with two layers of sound-dampening foam in the case, and sounds much better than just about any mainstream gaming keyboard. It also comes with Keychron's Cherry-profile keycaps in double-shot PBT, which have a lower profile than standard OEM keycaps. The L3 offers three forms of connectivity: low-latency 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and wired (USB-C). Its 2.4GHz connection has a gaming-standard 1,000 Hz polling rate and gets around 200 hours of battery life (with the lighting turned off).

The main drawback of the Lemokey L3 is that it's not quite as gamer-y as other gaming keyboards. If you're looking for a keyboard that will blend into your battle station, the L3's chunky aluminum chassis and generically-customizable lighting isn't going to fit quite as well as something like SteelSeries' Apex Pro TKL Wireless or Razer's Huntsman V3 Pro TKL. The L3 is also larger than most TKL keyboards — if you're looking to recoup desk space, you may want to go with something even smaller than a TKL, such as the 75-percent Asus ROG Azoth.

Read: Lemokey L3 Review

Best Mini Gaming Keyboard

They're not for everyone, but if you don't need all the extra keys on full-size and TKL layouts, an ultra-compact 65- or 60-percent keyboard might be right for you. Mini keyboards drop everything but the absolute necessities: a 65-percent layout has no numberpad, navigation cluster, or function row; a 60-percent layout also drops the arrow keys. Fewer keys means a much smaller footprint, perfect for gamers who want to angle their keyboards, have a smaller desk, or need something to travel with. But fewer keys also means you'll need pretty robust customization options, which is why the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless is our favorite ultra-compact gaming keyboard.

The Apex Pro Mini Wireless is a sleek, sturdily-built 60-percent keyboard featuring the brand's OmniPoint 2.0 HyperMagnetic switches. If you're wondering: at launch these were called OmniPoint 2.0 optical switches and SteelSeries rebranded them as HyperMagnetic to tag onto the trend of magnetic switches — they're the same switches, and, like other magnetic switches, feature adjustable actuation points, but SteelSeries did push out a firmware update that unlocked a wider actuation range and added a Rapid Trigger option. The Apex Pro Mini Wireless comes with a slew of preset secondary keybinds, which are conveniently printed on the sides of the keycaps and are relatively intuitive. And if you don't find them to be particularly intuitive, you can also remap almost every key (both primary and secondary keybinds). You can also set each key's actuation point and RGB lighting individually (if you want).

The Apex Pro Mini Wireless features an aluminum alloy top plate and double-shot PBT keycaps, and is otherwise pretty straightforward. It measures 11.53 x 4.02 x 1.59 inches (293 x 103 x 40.3mm) which is about the same size as other 60-percent keyboards (such as the Razer Huntsman Mini). It weighs 1.2 pounds (543g), which is heavy enough to feel premium, but lightweight enough to be travel-friendly. The keyboard offers both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity (as well as wired via USB-C), and gets around 30 hours of battery life over its low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection.

SteelSeries also offers a wired version, which is identical minus the battery; the Apex Pro Mini Wireless currently costs $190 (MSRP $240), while the wired version is quite a bit cheaper at $140 (MSRP $180). The company also recently dropped the limited-edition Apex Pro Mini Prebuilt: White Gold Edition (wired), which features a white aluminum chassis, white double-shot PBT keycaps, and a brass top plate. This edition is built more like a keyboard enthusiast's keyboard, with a hefty brass weight plate that added an extra pound and half to the build for a total weight of 2.75 pounds (1,242g) and no height adjustment. It's otherwise no different from the regular Apex Pro Mini, however — same actuation-adjustable switches, gamer-friendly customization options, and per-key RGB lighting.

I'm not the biggest fan of peripheral software, but customization is so critical to mini keyboards that this may be the one place where overly-ambitious, bloated gaming peripheral software is actually... not the worst option. SteelSeries' GG software has its issues, but it lets you customize the Apex Pro Mini Wireless to suit your typing/playstyle by remapping keys and adjusting actuation (actuation point, dual actuation, and Rapid Trigger), and you can store up to five profiles on the keyboard's hardware.

Read: SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Review

Best Budget Gaming Keyboard

Cooler Master's MK770 isn't the cheapest gaming keyboard you can find, but $119 is a fantastic price for everything you get in this keyboard. It's a well-built, wireless, gasket mount mechanical gaming keyboard with a hot-swappable PCB and a 96-percent layout. These specs, you'll notice, are pretty similar to the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, but the MK770 retails for $60 less.

The MK770 comes in two colorways: 'Space Gray' and 'Macaron,' which is a unique pastel mix of mint green, light pink, and pale yellow. It features a sturdy plastic chassis with one set of flip-out feet for angle adjustment and double-shot PBT keycaps with shine-through legends. It's not quite as sleek as the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, with a slightly larger, bulkier chassis that measures 15 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches (380.9 x 140.4 x 38.7 mm) but is still pretty economical, space-wise. It weighs around the same amount at 2.3 pounds (1052g).

The MK770 comes with Kailh Box V2 switches in Red (linear), Brown (tactile), or White (clicky). We reviewed it with the White switches, which require 45g to actuate (50g to bottom out), and have an actuation point of 1.8mm with 3.6mm total travel. The keyboard features a gasket mount design, which adds a nice amount of flex for a more comfortable (and better-sounding) typing experience. The keyboard also features a hot-swappable PCB that supports 5-pin switches, so you can easily swap in switches of your choice. Like other 96-percent keyboards, the MK770 has a 10-key number pad but drops some of the navigation cluster — namely, Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause, Home, and End — but it does feature a volume knob in the upper right corner.

This keyboard is wireless, with tri-mode connectivity: low-latency 2.4GHz wireless via USB-A dongle (the keyboard even has a handy place to store the dongle, under one of the flip-out feet), Bluetooth (up to 3 devices), and wired via USB-C. It has a 4,000 mAh battery, and while Cooler Master provides no battery life estimates, our reviewer was able to use it for about a week (over 2.4GHz wireless, with the lighting turned off) before recharging. The only real issue we had with this keyboard was the customization aspect — because the software is... not great.

The MK770 uses Cooler Master's universal MasterPlus app, and it's a buggy program from the get-go — slow to boot, laggy, and prone to crashing. You can use it to remap keys, record macros, change a handful of settings, and customize the keyboard's RGB backlighting — though that's also nothing to write home about.

It's nice to see a solid, feature-rich gaming keyboard from a mainstream peripheral company that doesn't cost close to $200. But if $119 is out of your budget, we also love the Akko 3098B/N, which is a wireless 96-percent hot-swappable keyboard that's great for both gaming and typing and can currently be found for $90. You can also find several budget-friendly mechanical keyboards (though these aren't necessarily gaming keyboards) on our list of best budget mechanical keyboards.

Read: Cooler Master MK770 Review

Most Versatile Gaming Keyboard

What's better than a keyboard with a rotary knob, dedicated media controls, and programmable macro keys? A keyboard with multiple rotary knobs, media controls, and programmable macro keys — or, a keyboard with a built-in Stream Deck. Corsair's Galleon 100 SD is the first of its kind: a mechanical gaming keyboard with a TKL layout and a built-in Stream Deck — complete with two rotary knobs, a full-color (non-touch) screen, and 12 customizable LCD keys — where its numberpad would be (well, if it were a full-size keyboard).

The Galleon 100 SD is more than just a gimmick (though it is, admittedly, a little gimmicky) — it's a nice-looking keyboard, with bright, per-key RGB lighting and an aluminum top case with beveled edges and a fairly sleek profile. It comes with several accessories in the box, including a padded, soft-touch detachable magnetic wrist rest. It also sounds and feels very good as a keyboard, thanks to the six layers of sound-dampening foam included in the case. It has a hot-swappable PCB but it only comes in one switch option — Corsair's MLX Pulse (purple) switches, which are "thocky and linear" with an actuation force of 45g and a total travel of 3.6mm. It's very impressive for a mainstream gaming keyboard, and the only real downside is that the switches aren't magnetic. Well, that's not a downside for me, but it might be for you if you're looking for the hottest, speediest, most gamer-y gaming keyboard technology right now. The Galleon 100 SD doesn't support magnetic switch features like RapidTrigger or SOCD, though Corsair does allow you to set up a FlashTap (a software-side version of SOCD). It does offer up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate, though.

Of course, this isn't just a keyboard — it's also a Stream Deck. The Stream Deck side of the board is nicely set up, with two programmable rotary knobs at the top, a 2.5 x 1.25 inch color LCD screen, and 12 LCD keys arranged in a 3 x 4 grid. While I definitely miss my 10-key numberpad (you can set up the LCD keys to display most of the numberpad, but it's absolutely not the same), I will also grudgingly admit that as someone who primarily uses the numberpad for macro keys and to enter the alt-code for the em dash every other sentence, a Stream Deck is more useful (if not easier to use). While the LCD keys can't replace the ease of a numberpad in muscle memory (if you do use your numberpad for data entry, the Stream Deck is not a suitable replacement), its programmability is much more useful for everything else. The screen at the top is divided into four sections, and each rotary knob controls the two sections directly below it (long-press the knob to switch between the two). While you will need to take some time to actually think through and set up the Stream Deck side of things, once you do it's a very handy tool.

Now, you could always just get a keyboard and a Stream Deck... separately. I don't think having the Stream Deck attached to your keyboard is significantly more convenient than just having a Stream Deck right next to your keyboard, but I guess the main benefit here is that you only have to make one purchase — though you will have to set up the keyboard and Stream Deck separately, as the keyboard is set up through Corsair's Web Hub app, while the Stream Deck works through Elgato's Stream Deck software.

Also, it's not a cheap purchase: the Galleon 100 SD retails for $350, which is pricier than just about every other mainstream gaming keyboard you can think of, save for Asus's $500, carbon fiber-wrapped Azoth Extreme. The Stream Deck+, which has four dials, eight LCD keys, and a touchscreen, currently costs around $160 right now, which would leave you almost $200 to spend on a separate keyboard. Don't get me wrong — the Galleon 100 SD is impressive enough on the keyboard side to be premium-priced, it's just not your only option for a keyboard-and-Stream-Deck combo.

Read: Corsair Galleon 100 SD Review

Best Magnetic Switch Gaming Keyboard

Arbiter Studio's KITSUNE Polar 75 Pro is an impressive wired gaming keyboard with a compact 75-percent layout and Hall Effect magnetic switches. The magnetic switches allow for features such as Rapid Trigger, Snap Tap (SOCD), and have adjustable actuation — all good things for gamers who are interested in ultra-low latency and speed.

It's a well-built, premium-feeling keyboard with a matte anodized aluminum top case over a semi-translucent bottom case and thick dye-sub PBT keycaps. I also really like the aesthetic — it's just a black and white keyboard (black case, white keycaps with printed black legends), but it features the brand's "Kitsune" styling — a fox on the Esc key, kitsune in Japanese (though it's in katakana, which doesn't really make sense as kitsune is a native Japanese word, but I guess... it's stylized), and some other touches that give it a cool, modern vibe without going overboard. The keycaps come in Arbiter's AOP profile, which is lower and more sculpted than the KOP profile.

The Polar 75 Pro comes with Fuji Pro linear magnetic switches as well as a hot-swappable PCB — though it's only compatible with certain other magnetic switches, so it's not quite as versatile as your typical hot-swappable keyboard. It offers an impressive typing experience in both feel and sound, thanks to the two layers of dampening silicone in the case and the keycaps' curvy sculpting. In fact, it's still one of the best-sounding keyboards I've ever used, and the typing experience is so good it's near the top of my list even if we include traditional mechanical switches. The switches feature an adjustable actuation range of 0.1 to 3.8mm (with a sensitivity of 0.1mm), and each key can be set individually in Arbiter's Web App.

Magnetic switches are hot in gaming these days, but most magnetic switch keyboards offer a less-than-impressive typing experience. Arbiter Studio's Polar 75 Pro has one of the best typing experiences you'll find, and it's set up for gamers — though its Web App does lack some of the fancy gaming features you'll find in more developed peripheral apps, such as Synapse and iCue. But if you haven't been inundated into the gaming peripheral software fold (you should avoid it, if you can, in my opinion), the Polar 75 Pro — or the Polar 65 Pro, if you're looking for a nice 65-percent layout — should definitely be on your list.

Read: Arbiter Studio Polar 75 Pro Review

Other Gaming Keyboards We Tested

◼️ Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless

Asus' ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless is sort of a successor to our top pick, the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless. It's wireless, hot-swappable, and has a 96-percent layout, with a gasket-mount design and three forms of connectivity. It also features a customizable multi-function knob and it works with Asus new Gear Link web app — which you can use to customize the keyboard wirelessly. It's cheaper and comes with fewer accessories than the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, however, and it's not the best option if you can find the former on sale.

Read: Asus ROG Strix Morph 96 Wireless Review

◼️ Asus ROG Azoth X

The latest board in Asus' Azoth lineup has a brand-new aesthetic — it's much more colorful and unique than the original Azoth — and a brand new price tag of $300. That's $50 more than the original and just $200 less than the extreme version. It features a hot-swappable PCB, Asus' second-gen "refined" linear or clicky switches, a gasket-mount design, and five layers of sound-dampening foam, but the typing experience is just okay thanks to a thunky extra-dampened spacebar. It offers tri-mode connectivity and up to 1,600 hours of battery life, plus a web-based Armoury Crate that I have yet to find. For a gaming keyboard, it's good. But not for $300.

Read: Asus ROG Azoth X Review

◼️ Glorious GMMK 3 Pro

Glorious' newest GMMK 3 lineup is fancy, and the flagship feature is the brand's custom keyboard builder: the GMMK Boardsmith. The Boardsmith lets you build your own keyboard: wired or wireless; 65-percent, 75-percent, or full-size; MX mechanical or magnetic switches; with a custom case, accents, and keycaps. It's a one-stop shop for those who want a custom-built gaming keyboard, and it's fairly unique in the world of mainstream gaming keyboards. But it's just so... expensive.

The cheapest pre-built (non-customized) GMMK 3 starts at $119 for a wired, 65-percent mechanical keyboard with a plastic case, while the priciest GMMK 3 is $409 for a wireless, full-size magnetic switch keyboard with an aluminum case. If you decide to build your own board, that price can go all the way up to $608, which is pretty crazy for mechanical keyboard from a mainstream gaming company. While the GMMK 3 is very well built and is highly customizable... it's still a mainstream gaming keyboard.

Read: Glorious GMMK 3 Pro Review

◼️ Asus ROG Azoth Extreme

The Asus ROG Azoth Extreme is the anticipated "extreme" version of Asus' flagship premium gaming keyboard, the ROG Azoth. The Azoth Extreme takes the already-pretty-extreme Azoth to the next level with a full aluminum alloy chassis, a carbon fiber positioning plate, refined sound dampening and stabilizers, a full-color, customizable, touch-gesture-enabled OLED screen, an adjustable gasket mount, and a wrist rest. But all this doesn't come cheap: the Azoth Extreme is a whopping $500 — twice the price of the already-expensive $250 Azoth.

The Azoth Extreme is a well-built 75-percent mechanical gaming keyboard with a meticulously machined case, per-key RGB backlighting, double-shot PBT keycaps, and Asus' linear or clicky switches. It also has a hot-swappable PCB, a carbon fiber positioning plate, and a gasket mount that can be adjusted via a switch on the back for a softer or firmer typing feel. Out of the box, the Azoth Extreme sounds and feels even better than the original Azoth (which already sounded and felt fantastic).

The Azoth Extreme is definitely... extreme. And it's so well-built that it arguably earns its high price — but that doesn't necessarily mean it's worth buying. The Azoth Extreme is highly customizable, but most of that customizability will likely go unused by the majority of gamers — you're not paying $500 for a keyboard you then have to turn around and customize.

Read: Asus ROG Azoth Extreme Review

◼️ Logitech G515 Lightspeed TKL

The new G515 Lightspeed TKL features the same general design as the rest of the GX15 lineup, but with updated switches, access to Logitech's KEYCONTROL, and a budget-friendly price of $140.

The G515 Lightspeed TKL is a wireless mechanical gaming keyboard with Logitech's low-profile GL switches (linear or tactile), which now have a POM cross-style stem for reduced wobble and a better typing experience. It sports a slim, all-plastic build with premium-feeling double-shot PBT keycaps and bright per-key RGB backlighting. While it's not quite as satisfying to type on as a similarly-equipped full-height gaming keyboard, the G515 Lightspeed TKL offers a very pleasant typing experience with consistent tactile feedback and solid (if not perfect) gaming performance.

It features both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity and gets 36 hours of battery life over 2.4GHz wireless with the brightness turned up all the way — and up to 600 hours with the backlighting turned off.

Read: Logitech G515 Lightspeed TKL Review

How We Test Gaming Keyboards

Peripherals are as much about comfort, usability, and aesthetics are they are about performance. First, we inspect each keyboard's built quality, taking note of premium materials such as double-shot PBT keycaps and aluminum alloy backplates. We look at keycap profiles and legends, top and bottom case materials, default typing angle and angle adjustment options, and included accessories such as wrist rests and cables.

We then spend a couple of weeks using each keyboard as our primary input source for work and play — we use it for writing, gaming, and everything in between. We take a typing test at the beginning of our time with each keyboard and several throughout our testing. While typing tests are not terribly useful as objective measures of anything, they give our reviewers a handle on how well the keyboard's elements fit together (and how easily one can adapt to the keyboard — especially if it sports an unusual size or layout).

We test the keyboard's gaming performance by playing a variety of games, including fast-paced first-person shooters and battle royale type games such as Overwatch 2 and Apex Legends, as well as more endurance-based open world RPGs such as The Elder Scrolls Online and Baldur's Gate 3. We want to see how well the keyboard performs in a competitive environment where speed is essential, but we also want to see how comfortable it is to use if you're planning on doing marathon runs in MMORPGs.

If the keyboard is hot-swappable, we swap in our favorite switches and see how that changes the typing experience — though we also test and review the included switches, as many people don't want to make another purchase immediately after buying a keyboard. And if the keyboard is wireless, we test the strength, consistency, and latency of the wireless connection, as well as the keyboard's battery life and how well performance holds up at low battery levels.

Finally, customization is an important factor in gaming keyboards, so we test each keyboard's customizability using any included companion software. While customization and key remapping isn't as absolutely necessary on a keyboard as it is on, say, a mouse, it can be critical on mini/ultra-compact keyboards.

Quick Shopping Tips

Size/layout: There are myriad keyboard layout options — from full-size with extra macro keys to ultra-compact 60-percent layouts without arrow keys. While a 10-key numberpad and extra macro keys can be useful for MMOs and games with a lot of keyboard shortcuts, most gamers will probably prefer a smaller layout and more desk space. Here's a quick breakdown of the sizes you're likely to come across:

⌨ Full-size: Has between 104 and 108 keys, including a 10-key number pad, arrow keys, a full function row, and a 9-key navigation cluster. Often has extra keys, such as dedicated macro keys, as well as dedicated media keys that can usually be remapped.
⌨ 96-percent: Usually drops some or all of the navigation keys but keeps the 10-key number pad. A compact (read: squashed) full-size layout.
⌨ TKL: Tenkeyless, or TKL, refers to the fact that this layout drops the 10-key number pad. That's the only key cluster it drops, however — it still has function keys, arrow keys, and nine navigation keys.
⌨ 75-percent: A more compact TKL layout that also drops some of the navigation keys. Instead of the standard 3 x 3 navigation cluster, a 75-percent layout usually has a single column of 3 - 5 navigation keys and/or a rotary dial.
⌨ 70-percent: The 75-percent layout minus the function row.
⌨ 65-percent: Here's where it starts to get muddled. 65-percent keyboards are usually as ultra-compact as you can get without dropping the arrow keys, but we've seen '65-percent' used to refer to keyboards with both arrow keys and a function row (technically a 70-percent layout), as well as keyboards with arrow keys, a function row, and a column of navigation keys (technically a 75-percent layout).
⌨ 60-percent: The most compact you can get — no number pad, navigation cluster, function row, or arrow keys. 60-percent is sometimes used to describe keyboards with arrow keys (technically a 65-percent layout).

Switches: The best gaming keyboards use a number of different mechanical, optical, and magnetic switch types, which determine the feel and sound of each key press. The type of switch you choose depends on your personal preferences for typing and gaming — for more on the ins and outs of mechanical switches, check out our guide to mechanical switch spec ranges.

☑ Clicky (audible click, bump): Blue, Green, White
☑ Tactile (no audible click, bump): Brown, Clear
☑ Linear (quiet, no audible click or bump): Red, Silver

If you aren't ready to commit, a hot-swappable keyboard will let you swap switches out easily.

Customization: Customization is a big feature of gaming keyboards, but not everyone does a lot of remapping or macro recording, or needs multiple profiles for different games. If you're looking at an ultra-compact keyboard you'll be using this feature a lot — the apps that are too complicated for most peripherals can actually be a big help here, especially if they have presets for popular games. If you're looking at a roomier layout, however, you may not need to remap anything.

RGB: Not all RGB is created equal — per-key RGB lets you program each key's color individually, while zone lighting limits your customization to just a few areas of the board. You can usually save a little money by picking up a keyboard with a single-color backlight (but you'll miss out on a spectacular light show). You can also forgo lighting altogether if you're a touch-typist (or gaming in a well-lit area). But if you're looking for the best lighting option, look for something that's bright, colorful, and immersive — many gaming peripherals companies team up with games to create immersive lighting presets for their peripherals.

Connectivity: If you're looking for something reliable, low-latency, and budget-friendly, a wired connection is still your best bet. But wireless peripherals have come a long way in the last few years, and are solid enough that even professional gamers will use them — especially keyboards, where latency is less of an issue than it is with, say, mice. Gamers will need a 2.4GHz wireless connection with a minimum 1,000 Hz polling rate, however — keyboards and peripherals with lower polling rates or Bluetooth-only connectivity are just not designed for gaming and will have a noticeable lag. While you will see Bluetooth built into many gaming keyboards, that's to make those keyboards more appealing in a non-game context — it's not for gaming.

As for polling rates, anything higher than 1,000 Hz (1ms) is going to be very difficult for even competitive gamers to discern — high polling rates make more sense in mice, which are constantly moving, but keyboards aren't outputting continuous movement and so won't benefit significantly from polling rates that are speedier by fractions of milliseconds.

I've reviewed and used several Corsair keyboards over the last decade-plus. While some have been impressive in terms of features or comfort, I don't think I've ever been pleasantly surprised when it came to launch price. But that's changed with the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless, a 75% keyboard with hot-swappable pre-lubed linear switches, two-layers of sound dampening, a programmable knurled metal knob, and other appreciated features. My initial impressions based on the switch feel and sound alone had me thinking this keyboard might be priced well above $200. But when I actually dug into the press materials, I was shocked to see the $159.99 MSRP. There's a whole lot to like here, especially for that price.

That said, the K65 Plus Wireless isn't perfect. The single-shot PBT keycaps and plastic shell, while far from feeling cheap, don't quite live up to the otherwise luxury feel and sound of Corsair's latest K65. But while I'm not a huge fan of linear switches, the combination of lubed Corsair MLX Reds, foam and silicon for sound dampening, and a solid 2.02-pound weight, make the K65 Plus Wireless the most premium-feeling gaming-focused keyboard I've ever used. With a metal shell and better keycaps, this could easily pass for a custom keyboard in the $300-plus range. Considering the K65 Plus Wireless barely costs more than half that, it's easy to recommend as one of the best gaming keyboards I've used. If you like red switches and the look of Corsair's keycaps, you'll find plenty of value here. 

Design and Construction of the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless

The design and build of the K65 Plus Wireless is solid, if perhaps not all that exciting. The case is made of black polycarbonate plastic, with a steel internal plate to add rigidity and weight. It would be lovely to see an aluminum shell, but I don't expect one at this price. The plastic looks and feels good (for plastic), and at 2.02 pounds, the keyboard is heavy — but not as substantial as Micro Center's Inland Gaming MK Pro 75%, which approaches 4 pounds without switches or keycaps.

At 12.59 x 5.35 x 1.37 inches (320 x 136 x 35mm), Corsair's keyboard is slightly smaller than Inland's MK Pro 75% (13.07 x 5.75 inches / 332 x 146mm). There are smaller 75% keyboards, like the Keychron K2 Wireless I used as my daily driver for a couple of years. But there you lose the volume knob and any kind of key separation. With the K65 Plus Wireless, Corsair offsets the arrow keys slightly (which I appreciate since I play a lot of RTS games), and isolates the function row and the home and PgUp/PgDn keys below the knob. These keys also do double duty as Bluetooth channel selectors, which is another reason it's nice that they're easier to find than they would be jammed up against all the other keys. In short, Corsair keeps things compact, while mostly making good use of the limited space.

I'm not quite as happy about the keycaps, though, both for their design and their construction. The single-shot dye-sub caps are more than fine for a mainstream gaming keyboard – the legends are particularly crisp for this kind of keycap –  and they should look and feel familiar to fans of Corsair's previous offerings on this front. But the buttery smooth lubed switches and dual-layer sound dampening (foam and a silicon pad) otherwise make this feel like a much more expensive keyboard. The gray keycaps have little in the way of design flourish (save for a nice triangle pattern on the space bar), and the RGB lighting doesn't shine through the legends. 

The latter isn't too much of an issue though, as the RGB lighting gets plenty bright enough to shine through between the keycaps. I don't dislike the keycaps, it's just one area, along with the plastic shell, where the materials hold the K65 Plus Wireless back from truly feeling like a luxury keyboard. This, plus the fact that linear switches aren't my favorite, makes me wish Corsair would sell this keyboard as a barebones kit, the way Micro Center does with its 75% Inland keyboard.
 

Specs of the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless

Typing and Gaming Experience of the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless

In terms of key feel and sound, the K65 Plus Wireless is the nicest gaming-focused keyboard I have ever used. The lubed linear keys are very smooth, although they aren't the best for typing. The sound dampening makes for a quieter, solid "thocky" typing sound that rivals pricier custom keyboards, and the only layout change I had to get used to was the placement of the delete key, which lives here between F12 and the customizable knob in the upper-right corner.

As this is a 75% keyboard, there are no dedicated macro keys for gaming. And on the productivity side, I did slightly miss having a dedicated print screen key. But the latter, like the other missing keys, is available via an Fn combo (the PrtSc shortcut is conveniently just above the Fn key). For me, at least, these are pretty minor tradeoffs for what is otherwise a great-feeling keyboard for both gaming and working.

I decided to swap out Corsair's linear switches for something more tactile, so I wouldn't make so many repeated letter typos while working. But the red switches here are excellent for gaming and feel very good. Changing switches is easy, since the keyboard is hot-swappable, and Corsair includes a keycap/switch removal tool in the box. Once I finished photographing the keyboard for this review, I dropped in a set of Redragon Tactile switches that I picked up on sale at Micro Center. You can, of course, install whatever compatible switches you like.

While I miss the roller on Corsair's older, larger keyboards, the small knob (Corsair calls it a Control Dial) in the upper-right corner of the K65 Plus Wireless is made of nicely knurled metal and generally feels good — though it does have some slight wobble.

By default, it controls the volume. But using either via Corsair's iCue software or one of the many (many) keyboard combos (Fn and the arrow keys), you can also set it to control vertical or horizontal scrolling, zooming in / out, or to dial in the keyboard brightness. (The last one seems a little odd, considering the keyboard has a dedicated lighting on / off button on the left edge.) Having precise zoom control is nice, but I already have that via the second scroll wheel on my MX Master 3S mouse. So I'd probably just leave the knob set to control volume. 

As far as other hardware features go, there is a multi-purpose indicator light on the keyboard's upper-left corner, next to the silver-painted, Corsair logo-adorned escape key. It gives you a rough estimate of battery life when you turn the keyboard on (green for high, amber for medium, red for low), as well as indicating connection type and status. You can also trigger this to check the battery after the keyboard is already on by hitting Fn and the enter key. 

Speaking of battery life, Corsair quotes 266 hours with the backlight off. How much you'll get depends largely on how often you use the RGB lighting and how bright you set it. Based on my mixed use over the course of a week, I suspect most people who use the keyboard for hours a day with the RGB on and fairly bright should expect to have to charge it about once a week.

When changing the dial's functions from volume to zoom or scroll, the indicator light also indicates the function, with white for volume, green for scrolling, blue for zoom, and red for backlight brightness.  Oddly though, this as well as the battery check feature only works if the RGB lighting is also on. And again — to turn the lighting on or off, there's a button just below the indicator light, on the left side of the keyboard.  

Around back, there's a USB-C port for charging or wired use, a three-way toggle for the two wireless modes or wired connectivity and charging, and a switch for Windows or Mac support. Next to that is a small recess for storing the wireless dongle when it's not plugged into your system. You'll also find the usual two-level flip-out feet and rubber strips on the bottom to keep the keyboard from moving around on your desk. The two-pound weight also helps on that front.

Features and Software of the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless

The best part about Corsair's iCue software in relation to this keyboard is that, in most cases, you don't need to use it at all. The downside of not using the software is that you'll need to remember a lot of key combos if you want to change settings or otherwise customize the controls.. 

The tables explaining the combos for both PC and Macs take up nearly three pages in Corsair's press materials. Most of the simple stuff, such as media controls (Fn+F7-F12) and lighting presets (Fn+any number key) are indicated via text or icon legends on the keycaps. But, of course, that's not going to help you if you decide to change keycaps. If you don't want to install iCue, you'll probably want to keep a PDF or a photo of the manual handy for reference.

If you want to, say, reassign keys to launch specific programs, check for firmware updates, or get more granular control of your keyboard's lighting, you'll have to install iCue, Corsair's all-encompassing lighting, stat monitoring, and peripheral software. It gets the job done on those fronts, and I do like its design and layout more than similar software from Asus and MSI. But as we've stated before, all gaming peripheral software is loathsome in its own way. I will say that iCue didn't crash or noticeably slow down my system when I ran it for the purposes of this review, but I also installed it on a system with a $600 CPU and 64GB of RAM.

If your system doesn't have lots of CPU and memory overhead, you may want to stick to the keyboard shortcuts. Or you could install iCue to change and save your settings to the keyboard's 1MB of internal memory and then keep the software from running at startup — or uninstall it altogether. If you like swapping between several profiles for different games or tasks, though, iCue will let you save and swap as many as you want — the keyboard's internal memory is limited to a maximum of four profiles.

Bottom Line

For $159, the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless is an excellent keyboard for gaming and work, with a more premium switch feel and sound than the majority of gaming-focused peripherals — and a price that undercuts competition such as Asus' Azoth. In particular, if you prefer smooth linear switches and you like the looks of Corsair's keycaps, it's an excellent value. But even if you find you don't like the switches and caps, you can always change them down the line thanks to the current plethora of Cherry-style alternatives.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

NZXT is still mostly a case and cooling company, but the company has been slowly moving into the peripheral space with keyboards, mice, and audio — and while their peripherals aren't jaw-droppingly pretty or otherwise exciting, they're... not bad. We reviewed NZXT's first keyboard — the Function (full-size, TKL, and MiniTKL) over two years ago, and the company is now launching its successor. 

The creatively-named Function 2 is still hot-swappable, low-profile, and relatively budget-friendly, but now it's got new switches, extra sound-dampening, and a speedy (if not entirely necessary) optional 8,000 Hz polling rate. I'm not sure if it stands out enough to be considered one of the best gaming keyboards, but it's certainly better than I expected.

NZXT's new Function 2 keyboards come in full-size and MiniTKL (the original Function keyboard also came in regular TKL); this review is for the full-size version, but both sizes feel and perform similarly. The full-size Function 2 is a wired gaming keyboard with surprising specs: hot-swappable, with an aluminum top plate, double-shot PBT keycaps, dual-layer sound-dampening and a tape-enhanced PCB, and up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate. Honestly, the specs alone make this keyboard sound better than most mainstream gaming keyboards — and it's not too expensive, either. The Function 2 comes in both black and white colorways, and the full-size retails for $139.99, while the MiniTKL is $10 cheaper at $129.99.

Design and Construction of the Function 2 

The Function 2 is a wired, full-size gaming keyboard housed in a plastic chassis with an aluminum top plate and double-shot PBT keycaps. Like most mainstream gaming keyboards, it comes in an all-black colorway (also available in white), with shine-through keycaps and per-key RGB lighting. NZXT's logo is printed in shiny black (against matte-finish aluminum) in the upper-right corner, and the keyboard features a volume roller and three dedicated shortcut keys along its left side.

The Function 2 is about average-sized for a full-size keyboard — it's not as compact as a 96-percent keyboard, such as the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, but it takes up slightly less room than a fully decked-out full-size gaming keyboard like the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro. The Function 2 measures 17.4 inches (442mm) long by 5.03 inches (127.8mm) deep, not including the optional wrist rest, and is 1.59 inches (40.3mm) thick at its thickest point (including keycaps). The ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is a couple inches shorter in length (14.84 inches / 377mm), but has a similar depth (5.16 inches / 131mm) and height (1.57 inches / 40mm). The BlackWidow V4 Pro (18.25 x 6 x 1.75 / 464 x 152 x 44.45mm) is about an inch wider and an inch deeper, and it also has a larger wrist rest — so it takes up quite a bit more space overall. 

The Function 2 feels pretty sturdy — not impressively so, but it's weighty enough to stay put while you're typing or gaming aggressively. The keyboard alone weighs 2 pounds (910g), which makes it a little lighter than both the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless (2.23lbs / 1012g) and the BlackWidow V4 Pro (2.26lbs / 1027g).

The Function 2 comes with a slim, detachable magnetic wrist rest that sits flush with the front of the keyboard. The wrist rest isn't padded, but its dimpled, soft-touch rubber surface is comfortable enough, and it provides decent wrist support considering the keyboard is relatively low-profile to begin with. The wrist rest is the same length as the keyboard (17.4 inches / 442mm) and will add an extra 2.8 inches (71mm) in depth to your overall setup.

On the back of the keyboard, you'll find five small anti-slip rubber pads, along with two sets of flip-out feet for adjusting the keyboard's angle. The wrist rest, for some reason, has 10 anti-slip rubber pads, so at least you know that's not going anywhere. (That said, I didn't have any issues with this keyboard slipping — even on slicker surfaces.) 

The Function 2 has — as you might expect from a full-size keyboard — a 10-key numberpad, a full function row, and all navigation keys. It doesn't have dedicated macro keys, unlike the BlackWidow V4 Pro, but it does have three dedicated shortcut buttons on its left side, just under its vertically-oriented volume roller.

The shortcut buttons are actually on the side of the keyboard — as in, perpendicular to the keys. From top to bottom, the buttons control mute (on/off), game mode (on/off), and backlight brightness (four levels, plus off). The mute and game mode buttons have LED indicator lights next to them so you know when they've been pressed. These buttons cannot be reprogrammed, which is too bad. I like that they're located on the left (I never end up using buttons in the upper right corner of a keyboard, because my right hand is on my mouse), and I also like that they're on the side of the keyboard — I can find them quickly and I don't have to deal with the confusion of an extra row of keys.

The BlackWidow V4 Pro also has three side buttons (in addition to an extra row of dedicated macro keys) and a left-side knob, all of which are programmable. I find the BlackWidow V4 Pro's side buttons to be a little inconvenient, however — they're overly sensitive and shoved together, and I always end up accidentally triggering them when I move the keyboard. The Function 2's side buttons are spaced apart and are less sensitive, so this wasn't an issue. But I don't personally need a one-touch mute, game mode, or keyboard brightness button, at least, not more than I could use a programmable macro button (or three), especially on a keyboard with no extra keys.

The Function 2 comes with a handful of accessories in the box: a 6.5-foot (2m) braided USB-C to USB-A cable for connection (the keyboard's USB-C port is located on the left side), a keycap puller, a switch puller, and two sets of four extra switches — Gateron Red and Gateron Yellow.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Function 2

The Function 2 ships with NZXT's Swift Optical switches, which are "linear, light, and instant," according to the company. These switches are custom-made for NZXT by Gateron and are rated for up to 100 million keypresses. They're definitely linear, meaning they feature a smooth, straight keypress with no tactile bump or audible click, and they're relatively light with an actuation force of 40g. They have 2-point adjustable actuation, which lets you switch between the short, lightweight default actuation point of 1mm and a slightly deeper actuation point of 1.5mm.

The switches are factory-lubed and are relatively smooth — though I found them to be a little too lightweight for my liking. Like basically every mainstream and non-mainstream gaming peripheral company right now, NZXT is making a bid toward the mechanical keyboard enthusiast community by trying to improve the Function 2's case sound with two layers of sound-dampening foam and a tape-enhanced PCB. The Function 2 doesn't quite sound like an enthusiast's keyboard — it's relatively quiet, as most keyboards with linear optical switches are, but there's still quite a bit of stabilizer rattle and case ping. Don't get me wrong — it definitely sounds better than a typical mainstream gaming keyboard with nothing in the case, but the stabilizer rattle is audible enough that even a non-enthusiast will hear it. If you're looking for a mainstream gaming keyboard that sounds like it was designed for enthusiasts, the Asus ROG Azoth is still our go-to recommendation. 

The Function 2 comes with double-shot PBT keycaps in what looks like a Cherry profile — lower profile than OEM, with sculpted rows and slightly curved tops. It's nice to see PBT keycaps on a gaming keyboard — especially one that costs well under $200. Material aside, the Function 2's keycaps are pretty standard, with a matte finish and shine-through legends. They don't feel particularly heavy or premium, but they should at least manage to stave off shine for longer than ABS keycaps.

This keyboard is made with gamers in mind — it has a dedicated, un-remappable game mode button, and everything. It also has up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate, which sounds impressive but is overkill for the majority of gamers. There are a few gaming keyboards with high polling rates — Razer's Huntsman V2 TKL and Corsair's K70 Max RGB, to name a couple — but it's not a dealmaking (or dealbreaking) spec for a reason. 

Gaming peripherals generally have a minimum polling rate of 1,000 Hz, which means they send information to your PC 1,000 times a second — once every millisecond, i.e. a response time of 1ms. Higher polling rates mean more frequent check-ins: 2,000 Hz is 2,000 times per second (0.5ms response time), 4,000 Hz is 4,000 times per second (0.25ms response time), and 8,000 Hz is 8,000 times per second (0.125ms response time). These numbers might look good — a 0.125ms response time is objectively faster than a 0.5ms or 1ms response time, but it's not that much faster. An 8,000 Hz polling rate is eight times faster than a 1,000 Hz polling rate, but we're talking about a speed improvement of less than 1ms total. The difference in latency will not be nearly as noticeable as the difference between a 1,000 Hz polling rate and a 125 Hz polling rate (also eight times faster — but much more noticeable with a difference of 7ms).

That's not to say that polling rates above 1,000 Hz are unnoticeable, but that they're usually negligible enough that they're not a high priority for most gamers. Higher polling rates can also take a toll on CPU performance — not usually a serious one, but, again, we're talking about trying to improve latency by a fraction of a millisecond. Ultra-high polling rates seem like even less of a priority on keyboards — keyboard input isn't constant like mouse input is. But whatever your opinion is on keyboard polling rates, the Function 2 lets you crank its polling rate up to 8,000 Hz — I suppose it's nice to have the option, as long as you're not paying significantly more for it.

Features and Software of the Function 2

The Function 2 works with NZXT Cam, which is NZXT's universal peripheral software. Like all universal peripheral software, it does a bunch of things nobody asked for (such as hardware monitoring) and also lets you remap keys, change a handful of settings, and customize the RGB lighting on the Function 2. The software lets you set up both software- and hardware-based profiles — software-based profiles are stored on your PC and require the program to be running in the background, while hardware-based profiles (up to four) are stored on the keyboard.

NZXT Cam's keyboard tab has two main sections, for lighting and key remapping. The lighting section lets you customize the keyboard's RGB lighting — both a standard layer and a reactive layer, which activates when you press a key. The software provides a handful of preset lighting effects (solid color, solid gradient, color shift, color pulse, etc.) that you can customize to your liking; the keyboard has per-key RGB so you can adjust each key's lighting individually (if you so choose). There are a couple of equalizer/audio-based lighting effects that are only available for software-based profiles.

Key remapping is done via drag-and-drop, which isn't my favorite method but is relatively easy to figure out (it also has a macro recorder). You can remap most of the keys on both the base layer and the function layer, with a few exceptions: Esc, Fn, and right Ctrl are off limits on both layers, and F1 - F4 are reserved for onboard profile switching on the function layer. You also cannot remap the dedicated media/side buttons, nor can you remap the volume roller.

In addition to lighting customization and key remapping, NZXT Cam is also where you can change the keyboard's global switch actuation — you can switch between 1mm or "Light & Responsive" and 1.5mm or "Solid & Full." This 2-point actuation is similar to what you'll find on SteelSeries' Apex 9 TKL — if you want detailed, per-key adjustable actuation you'll need to pick up something like the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL. You can also adjust the keyboard's polling rate, from 125 Hz all the way up to 8,000 Hz. The app does, at least, warn you that a higher polling rate will consume more CPU resources.

The Bottom Line

The NZXT Function 2 isn't a particularly exciting keyboard, but it's surprisingly solid. It's well-built and features premium touches like an aluminum top plate and double-shot PBT keycaps, it's hot-swappable (optical switches only), and it sounds better than your typical mainstream gaming keyboard. It's relatively programmable, with attractive RGB lighting and onboard storage, and it comes with a wrist rest (albeit, a basic one). It's comfortable to type on — while linear switches aren't my favorite switches, they're speedy, responsive, and lightweight for gaming.

I'm not madly in love with this keyboard, but for $140 it's easy to recommend. It offers most of what you'll find on pricier full-size gaming keyboards and then some. Razer's BlackWidow V4 Pro, for example, offers most of the same features as the Function 2, but isn't hot-swappable and costs almost $100 more.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Cherry has been making switches for a long time — and Cherry's popular MX switches have long been considered a gold standard among mechanical keyboard switches. But it's easier to dominate the switch industry when you're the only player — and Cherry has had a lot of competition in recent years, from both other third-party switch makers and in-house switch development. 

A little under a year ago, Cherry announced its new Cherry MX2A switches — the next generation of its MX line, and (hopefully for Cherry) the "new gold standard." The new switches feature a variety of improvements: precise, factory pre-lubrication, updated spring, stem, and socket dome geometry, and gold cross point contacts (which, according to Cherry, make these switches "inherently designed for the future," because they support high polling rates of 1,000 Hz "and beyond"). Alongside the MX2A switch announcement, Cherry also announced that the Cherry XTRFY K5V2, a 65-percent hot-swappable gaming keyboard from Cherry's recently-acquired XTRFY gaming brand, would be the first keyboard with the switches preinstalled. 

But confusingly, Instead, Cherry's MX2A switches made their shipping debut in the Cherry KC 200 MX — a full-size wired productivity keyboard that would be entirely forgettable if it weren't bronze.

Luckily, it is bronze (our review unit was, anyway). The KC 200 MX features an anodized aluminum top plate in bronze or silver, solid keycaps with printed legends, and your choice of Cherry's new MX2A switches in either Silent Red (linear) or Brown (tactile). It has 108 keys, including a 10-key numberpad, a full function row and navigation block, and four extra media keys for volume up/down, mute, and... opening the calculator. Yes, there's really a key for that. While it's not really a gaming keyboard, it does have a low-latency 1ms (1,000 Hz polling rate) connection — thanks to those gold cross point contacts! — and full N-key rollover for those who don't want to swap keyboards while they're jumping between work and play. 

The KC 200 MX comes in two colorways: bronze/black and silver/white, both of which retail for $90. Yes, $90 for a wired keyboard with no backlighting.

Design and Construction of the KC 200 MX

The Cherry KC 200 MX is a wired, full-size keyboard with a slim, professional design. It's housed in a lightweight plastic chassis with an anodized aluminum top plate and ABS plastic keycaps with printed legends. It comes in two colorways — bronze, which has a bronze-colored top plate and black keycaps with white legends, and white, which has a silver top plate and white keycaps with dark gray legends. Our review unit came in bronze, and the bronze top plate definitely adds some style to what is otherwise a fairly conventional design. Cherry's logo is embossed just above the arrow keys. 

The KC 200 MX is a full-size keyboard, which means it includes a full function row, all navigation keys, and a 10-key numberpad. It's a fairly minimalist keyboard, though it does have four dedicated media keys above the numberpad: volume down, volume up, mute/unmute, and a key that opens up the calculator. These keys, along with the function keys and some of the navigation keys, can be remapped with Cherry's Cherry Keys software.

The keyboard is relatively compact for a full-size keyboard, especially if you're used to full-sized gaming keyboards. It measures 16.93 inches (430.02mm) long by 4.76 inches (120.9mm) wide, and is 1.54 inches (39.12mm) high at its highest point, including the keycaps. It's not too heavy but it's not suspiciously light — it weighs 1.83 pounds (830.07g), so it has a little heft to it.

On the back of the KC 200 MX, you'll find one set of flip-out plastic feet with anti-slip rubber pads for adjusting the keyboard's angle. The keyboard has a wedge-shaped chassis, so it already sits at an angle (about five degrees) without the feet. The feet prop up the back of the keyboard an extra half-inch, increasing the angle to 10 degrees. In addition to the anti-slip rubber pads on the feet, there are also three small pads along the bottom of the keyboard. 

I didn't have any issues with this keyboard slipping around on my desk as I typed, partly because I have a textured mouse pad/desk pad under my keyboards. I tried it on my desk's regular surface, however, and it was still fine — it's heavy enough and the keys are lightweight enough that the average typist shouldn't have any problems with slipping. If you're an aggressive typist with a particularly slick desk, of course, the rubber pads aren't going to do much.

The KC 200 MX is wired, and it has a non-detachable USB-A cable with a center attachment. This cable is a bit of a disappointment compared to the rest of the keyboard — while I don't necessarily expect a detachable cable on a sub-$100 office keyboard, a cable routing option would be a nice touch. The cable is also rubber-coated, not braided, and it's relatively stiff — it's the one eyesore that's going to stand out when you plug this keyboard into your setup, because it's so... visible. It's especially disappointing because it's a nice-looking keyboard, as far as office-oriented keyboards go, and the stiff, rubber cable jutting out from the center definitely detracts from the otherwise sleek, premium aesthetic.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience of the KC 200 MX

The KC 200 MX is the first keyboard that ships with Cherry's new MX2A switches, in either Silent Red (linear) or Brown (tactile). Our review unit came with Cherry MX2A Silent Reds, which are smooth, pre-lubed linear switches, which have an actuation force of 45g, 1.9mm pre-travel, and 3.7mm total travel. They're similar to Cherry's MX Red switches, though they have a slightly lower pre-travel distance (1.9mm vs. 2mm) and total travel distance (3.7mm vs 4mm).

This is because the MX2A Silent Reds feature built-in "patented damping" material designed to reduce keystroke noise even further. Linear switches are already the quietest type of switch you can get — they feature a smooth, consistent keypress, with no audible click or tactile bump to indicate actuation. There can still be a small amount of noise when you bottom out and the keycap hits the keyboard's top plate; the sound-dampening material in the MX2A Silent Reds helps make this noise even less noticeable. As a result the KC 200 MX with MX2A Silent Reds is definitely one of the quietest keyboards I've used, so it's a good choice for anyone who's particularly concerned about disturbing others with typing noise. The switches come pre-lubed and were a little scratchy at first but became smoother after some use. Keypresses felt very stable, with almost no stem wobble, which probably made a (small) difference in noise as well.

I'm not the biggest fan of linear switches to begin with, and while I can acknowledge that a keyboard like the KC 200 MX is a great option for someone in an open-format office, or who has sound-sensitive coworkers, it's not quite as satisfying to type on as a keyboard that makes some sound. While the switches were smooth (after a warm-up period) and stable, they also felt a little softer — not quite mushy, but definitely soft — and this made it difficult for me to type as quickly as I normally do while maintaining over 98% accuracy. Still, after a week or two with the keyboard, my typing tests topped out at around 112 words per minute — down just slightly from my normal average of around 120 wpm. 

The extra sound-dampening in the MX2A Silent Reds also has a shorter shelf life: the Silent Reds are only rated for 50 million keystrokes, versus the MX Reds' 100 million keystrokes (the Cherry MX2A Browns are also rated for 100 million keystrokes). Yes, I know that 50 million keystrokes is still an enormous number of keystrokes, but it's worth pointing out that the MX2A Silent Reds are expected to be less durable than other MX and MX2A switches. Cherry is mainly known for its switches, but this is not a hot-swappable keyboard, so you'll need to pick your switch when you make the purchase. 

The KC 200 MX's ABS keycaps feature laser-etched legends and a Cherry profile (naturally), which means they're low-profile, with sculpted rows and slightly curved tops. They're comfortable enough — the ABS plastic is lightly textured and you can feel the raised edges of the legends, and I didn't have any issues with my fingers slipping or mistyping. But they're also, like the rest of this keyboard, fairly generic. Quality-wise, they seem pretty standard, which makes me think I'll probably start seeing keycap shine (always an issue with ABS keycaps) sooner rather than later. 

The KC 200 MX isn't really designed for gaming — Cherry's first gaming keyboard to ship with MX2A switches will be the Cherry XTRFY K5V2, which is launching in March. The KC 200 MX doesn't have a game mode, nor is it particularly easy to program or customize (we'll get to this in a moment), so it's probably not going to be your first choice for first-person shooters and competitive eSports. If you want to play a few rounds of Apex Legends without switching keyboards, however, the KC 200 MX does feature a 1,000 Hz polling rate and full N-key rollover, so you won't have to worry about ghosting or latency. But if you're looking for a keyboard that will work for both productivity and gaming, there are better options on our list of best gaming keyboards.

Features and Software of the KC 200 MX

The KC 200 MX is a productivity keyboard — it doesn't come with the bells and whistles you might be used to seeing on a gaming keyboard. There's no RGB lighting, or backlighting at all, which might be an issue for those who want (or need) a little extra illumination. There are a handful of lights on the keyboard, however: white status LEDs on the Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, and Num Lock keys, so you can tell if the key is activated. But that's it. 

Cherry does have an app — Cherry Keys — that lets you remap some of the KC 200 MX's keys. The KC 200 MX has no onboard storage, however — the Cherry Keys app needs to be running in the background for the remap to work. The app is very simple (maybe a little too simple), and very generic as it's designed to work with virtually any keyboard (or mouse), not just Cherry's products.

With Cherry Keys, you can remap the KC 200 MX's function keys, media keys, and three of the navigation keys — Print Screen, Scroll Lock, and Pause. To remap a key, just open the app and click on the key you want to remap, and a menu will pop up at the bottom of the screen. You can set the key to run/open a program, file/folder, or web page on your PC, perform a system task (lock screen, log off, standby, etc.), perform a media function (forward/backward, volume up/down, play/pause, etc.), input a block of text, or perform a macro (recorded in the app). There doesn't seem to be an easy way to do the most simple type of remapping, which is where you assign a key to perform a different keyboard (or mouse) function, but I suppose you can use the text block/macro feature as a workaround for this (well, to some extent). 

Cherry seems to be banking on the assumption that most KC 200 MX users won't be looking to remap keys, because Cherry Keys is a very limited utility. You can't save macros (except locally — on each key as you record), create multiple profiles, or even export your preferences. The utility needs to run in the background to work — this means that if you switch the keyboard to a different device you'll not only have to install Cherry Keys on that device, you'll also have to remap everything from scratch. 

The Bottom Line

Cherry's KC 200 MX isn't a particularly exciting keyboard — it's mostly notable because it sports Cherry's new MX2A switches. And while the MX2A Silent Reds are quieter and more stable than their MX Red predecessors, the difference isn't drastic. That doesn't mean the switches aren't good — they feel good, don't wobble at all, and they're about as silent as you can get with mechanical switches. But should you go buy an entire keyboard for these new switches? Probably not. 

Also, I'm not entirely sure who this keyboard is for. While it definitely looks like it's aimed at the productivity crowd, it completely lacks any productivity features — except for, I guess, the dedicated calculator button. (Cherry's Cherry Key mapping software's inability to export or even really save keymapping profiles seems particularly... unproductive.) Cherry seems to be pitching this keyboard as the perfect keyboard for work and play, but I can't see gamers using the KC 200 MX except as a last resort — it's fine for gaming, especially more casual gaming, but so are a lot of keyboards. 

While the KC 200 MX's $90 price tag isn't particularly high for a full-size mechanical profile from a company as reputable as Cherry, it seems like that's what really determined the price — Cherry's brand name. Because $90 is pretty pricey for something that's so undeniably basic. If you're looking for a mechanical keyboard, you can pick up several budget mechanical keyboards for less than $90, including the very similar-looking (but backlit) Logitech K845, which retails for $60 — and is currently on sale at Amazon for $50. 

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

It's not the first magnetic keyboard we've reviewed this year, and it definitely won't be the last. Arbiter Studio's debut keyboard, the Polar 65, is a wired, compact 65-percent gaming keyboard with hot-swappable magnetic Hall Effect switches, an attractive, minimalist design, and an impressive typing experience. With how magnetic switches can up your game in first-person shooters, it might be time to make the switch — especially now that we're seeing a lot of (slightly) more budget-friendly magnetic switch keyboards coming to market. 

Designed to compete with the best gaming keyboards, the Polar 65 comes in both prebuilt and barebone variations — we tested the prebuilt version, which costs $150 and comes in nine colorways. The barebone version includes switches (custom 36g "Fuji" linear switches) but not keycaps, and costs $125.

Design and Construction of the Polar 65 

The Polar 65 is a wired, compact gaming keyboard with a 65-percent layout, which is about as compact as you can get without sacrificing your arrow keys (and let's face it — most of us need arrow keys). Minus the arrow keys, the 65-percent layout tends to vary a bit by board: some boards include four navigation keys, while others drop one (or two) for a rotary knob.

The Polar 65 has 68 keys in total, with three navigation keys (Delete, Page Up, Page Down) and the grave key on the right side. The keyboard has a simple, minimalist look with a very slim bezel, which makes it just a touch smaller than most 65-percent keyboards (just a touch, though).

The Polar 65 measures 12.4 inches (315mm) long and 4.29 inches (109mm) wide, and it measures 1.57 inches (40mm) high at the back, including the keycaps (1.22 inches / 31mm at the front). It's about the same size as the Meletrix Zoom65, though it doesn't have a volume knob and features a more packed-together layout.  I didn't find it too tall in the front, but it's tall enough that it could benefit from a wrist rest — unfortunately, it doesn't come with one and Arbiter Studio doesn't sell any matching wrist rests (yet), so you'll have to find your own. Like many similarly-designed keyboards, the Polar 65 doesn't have any pop-out feet for angle adjustment, and the wedge-shaped case is angled toward you, with a positive, five-degree tilt.

Construction-wise, the Polar 65 has a CNC aluminum frame that looks and feels very premium, situated over a translucent plastic case. It comes with double-shot PBT keycaps in a lightly-sculpted KOP profile with printed legends. 

It's a pretty sturdy little keyboard, weighing in at 2.2 pounds (990g), so it's not going anywhere on your desk — but the back features two rubber strips that run the length of the keyboard, just in case. Inside the case are two layers of sound-dampening silicone, which do an excellent job — the Polar 65 sounds fantastic for an out-of-the-box prebuilt keyboard, especially with a plastic case.

The Polar 65 comes in nine colorways, some of which are currently sold out on Arbiter Studio's website. The colorways include black and white frame variations of Ronin Red (white, black, and red keycaps), Panda (black and white keycaps), and Lilac (dark navy, lilac, and white keycaps), as well as Kumo Blue (white frame with white, black, and blue keycaps), Jedi Green (black frame with black, neon green, and white keycaps), and Mint Abyss (black frame with black and mint green keycaps).

Our review came in Mint Abyss because I'm a sucker for any variation of turquoise. The colorway features black keycaps with mint green legends and mint green accent keycaps with black legends. The underside of each keycap is also mint green, which gives the keyboard a pretty light blue-green glow when it's illuminated with white light. The Polar 65 does have RGB backlighting (not per-key), but keyboards with distinct colorways don't look great with standard spectrum-cycling RGB, so this is a nice extra little touch.

Each color variation also comes with eight Arbiter Studio-branded modifier keys (Enter, Escape, Backspace, Space, and four arrow keys). Also in the box: a braided 6-foot (1.8m) USB-C to USB-A cable and a dual keycap/switch puller. The keyboard has one USB-C port, located on the left side.

Specs

Typing and Gaming Experience on the Polar 65 

The Polar 65 comes with linear Fuji magnetic switches, which are custom-built for Arbiter Studio by Gateron. While regular mechanical switches use physical contact for actuation, magnetic switches use magnets and Hall Effect sensors — when you press a key, the magnet moves, changing the magnetic field. The switch actuates when the magnetic field changes enough — "enough" is a precise point that can be set, in this case, to between 0.1mm and 3.8mm. 

The Fuji switches are linear, which means they offer a smooth, consistent keypress with no click or tactile bump. They have an initial force of 36g, and end force of 60g, and 4mm total travel, as well as an adjustable actuation point and Rapid Trigger support.

While regular mechanical switches have a (fixed) actuation point and a (fixed) reset point, Rapid Trigger dynamically adjusts the reset point to match the actuation point — meaning you can trigger another keystroke the second you let go of a key, instead of having to wait for it to pass a fixed reset point. We're talking millimeters here, of course, but it definitely makes a difference in games where speedy keystrokes are essential, such as first-person shooters.

The Polar 65 features double-shot PBT keycaps in a KOP profile, which is similar to the OEM profile — medium-height, lightly-sculpted rows, and relatively flat tops. These keycaps have a slightly larger top surface area than standard keycaps, which is good because they're pretty smooth and slippery — when I first started using this keyboard I was making a lot of typos because my fingers kept slipping everywhere. 

It didn't take too long for me to get used to the keyboard's feel, however, and once I did, I found typing to be a very pleasant experience (if still a little slippery). If you'd prefer to bring-your-own-keycaps with the Polar 65, however, you can do so by picking up the keyboard in its barebone version, which costs $125 and includes everything except keycaps. 

The typing experience on the Polar 65 is excellent — not perfect, but I'm a little picky, and typing experience is pretty subjective in general. The switches feel great, even to someone like me, who doesn't particularly enjoy linear switches. They're very smooth — smoother than the average linear mechanical switch, probably because they're contactless — and each keystroke is very consistent and stable. 

The keycaps are a little slippery but are otherwise comfortable to type on, and I found that typos could be somewhat fixed by adjusting actuation (which can be done on the keyboard itself, using Fn shortcuts, or in Arbiter Studio's web app) to be a little less sensitive. The keyboard also sounds, as I mentioned earlier, fantastic out of the box. There is some stabilizer rattle on a handful of keys, but otherwise this is one of the best-sounding stock keyboards I've used. 

The Polar 65 is designed for gaming — well, a certain type of gaming. Magnetic switches and a 65-percent layout means the Polar 65 works best for games where you don't need a lot of keys but you do make a lot of rapid-fire keystrokes, e.g., first-person shooters and eSports. The keyboard is pretty standard in terms of gaming features: it has a game mode (Fn + Windows key), a 1,000 Hz polling rate, and adjustable actuation and Rapid Trigger support. 

It only supports one onboard profile at the moment, but Arbiter Studio's web app now supports up to five profiles (though you'll need to use the app to switch). It's not the most feature-rich gaming keyboard, but many gamers don't need a lot of extra features — they just need a simple, compact keyboard that's speedy and responsive, which the Polar 65 certainly is. 

Features and Software of the Polar 65 

You technically don't need software to change the Polar 65's settings, as the keyboard ships with preset Fn shortcuts for adjusting actuation level (entire board and per-key) and switching lighting effects (there are also preset Fn shortcuts for media keys, navigation keys, and game mode). 

Adjusting the keyboard's actuation on the keyboard itself isn't perfect, but it's surprisingly easy to navigate once you get the hang of it. You press Fn + Tab to enter continuous rapid trigger mode, and then you can adjust the actuation sensitivity using the navigation keys on the right side of the keyboard — Page Up to increase sensitivity, Page Down to decrease, Delete to reset, and the grave key to switch between the full keyboard and per-key adjustment. The backlighting is purple when the keyboard is on full keyboard mode, and off when the keyboard is on per-key mode — the key you're editing will light up in red, and the intensity of the glow indicates the sensitivity level (brighter light = more sensitive). Again — not perfect, but usable. 

You can also use Arbiter Studio's web app — a work in progress — which lets you adjust actuation and lighting and gives you slightly more detailed control. The app is entirely web-based and changes you make are automatically saved to the keyboard, so it's pretty lightweight and easy to use compared to, well, most peripheral apps. But it's still pretty limited in what it can do at the moment.

You can use the app to adjust each key's actuation point between 0.1mm and 3.8mm (38 levels — if you use the on-keyboard controls to adjust actuation, you're limited to 20 levels). You can also set each key's rapid trigger point between 0.1mm and 2.4mm.

The app also features a section for lighting, though you're still limited to the 16 pre-installed lighting effects, which you can cycle through on the keyboard using Fn + Enter. You do get some extra control over lighting in the app — you can adjust lighting effects' speed and brightness with Fn shortcuts on the keyboard, but you'll need the app if you want to pick a custom color for the single-color effects. You can also toggle effects on and off in the app to make it easier to switch between effects you want (without having to cycle through everything) on the keyboard. 

A recent update to the app and the keyboard's firmware adds profiles (up to five) to the app, but only one profile is stored on the keyboard at a time, and you'll need to use the app to switch between them. There appears to be a future keymapping section planned in the app — right now there's no way to map keys, so you're stuck with the default layout and preset shortcuts.

The Bottom Line

At $150, the Polar 65 isn't exactly a budget keyboard, but it's (slightly) cheaper than many magnetic switch keyboards — and it sounds and feels great. If you're looking for a compact magnetic switch gaming keyboard with a great out-of-the-box typing experience, the Polar 65 is easy to recommend. 

But out-of-the-box is sort of key, here, because the one area in which the Polar 65 falls a little short is when it comes to more complicated keyboard customization — keymapping, macro programming, and switching profiles onboard are all things you can't yet do with the web app. 

This is a pretty small keyboard, so being able to map Fn shortcuts and save multiple profiles onboard would definitely make it feel quite a bit bigger. But the Polar 65 is Arbiter Studio's debut keyboard, and the company has already added features since its release in November, so I'm sure we'll see these features in the near future. In the meantime, there are plenty of other affordable magnetic switch keyboards coming to market, such as Akko's MOD007B-HE.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Keychron is a well-known maker of keyboards and we've had the pleasure of reviewing several of their keyboards over the years, but today's deal we haven't covered before. But, this is an excellent price for a budget keyboard from a reputable keyboard manufacturer. 

The Keychron C3 Pro is currently for sale on Amazon for $36, it is not the lowest price this keyboard has been, but it is still competitively priced for a TKL keyboard. The keyboard itself features a TKL - tenkeyless layout that drops the number pad from the keyboard, decreasing its size substantially. This is great for a gaming keyboard, but you might miss the number pad if you want to use the keyboard for work or spreadsheets.

With all 87 keys programmable thanks to open-source QMK / VIA software, you can configure the Keychron C3 to your specific liking and bind any of the keys to perform whatever task you desire. This is fantastic for gaming, but can obviously be useful for any task you want to perform where shortcuts could come in handy. 

The Keychron C3 Pro is not fully RGB but does have 14 types of red backlighting to help you see the keys in a darkened environment and add a bit of that gamified flare to your setup. The keycaps are double-shot ABS and have plenty of shine-through to let the red light show. Speaking of the keys, they are all connected to Red Switches for a linear typing experience. 

Although only asking for a budget price, the Keychron C3 Pro uses a gasket mount structure to reduce sound resonance whilst typing and also includes sound-absorbing foam in the case to provide you with a quieter typing experience and reduce any hollow sounds.

Connectivity to your computer is provided by a USB-C cable, and this keyboard can switch between Mac OS and Windows easily and even contains universal keycaps for these systems in the box. Other features of the Keychron C3 Pro include 1000Hz polling and n-key rollover for simultaneous key presses.

Corsair has made quite a splash in gaming keyboards in the last year with its K70 Max RGB keyboard, which has customizable magnetic switches and some pretty impressive sound-dampening. But the K70 Max RGB's dual-actuation magnetic switches are somewhat niche (we have yet to find much real-world use for dual-actuation switches), and the board is expensive at $230.

Corsair's latest board, the K70 Core RGB, is a more accessible full-size gaming keyboard — and quite possibly one of the best gaming keyboards we've tested. It keeps the K70 Max RGB's impressive sound-dampening and lack of case ping with two layers of EVA foam, but drops the customizable magnetic switches for pre-lubed Corsair Red (linear) switches. It has an aluminum top plate and comes in all black or "steel gray," with double-shot ABS keycaps. It features per-key RGB, onboard storage with support for up to five profiles, and has a customizable rotary dial. And it retails for just $99.99 — much more budget-friendly than the decked-out K70 Max RGB. 

Design of the K70 Core RGB

The Corsair K70 Core RGB is a wired, full-size mechanical keyboard with double-shot ABS keycaps, flip-up feet, and an adjustable rotary knob. It hasn’t been long since I tested the company's flagship full-size board, the K70 Max RGB. While I really liked that board, it was a bit pricey ($230), somewhat niche, and a little overwhelming at times. 

The K70 Core RGB has several neat features, including pre-lubed Corsair Red (linear) switches, two layers of EVA foam in the case for sound-dampening, an aluminum top plate, an adjustable rotary knob, and an included magnetic wrist rest. I've reviewed a lot of mechanical keyboards in my day, and the Corsair Red switches are by far the smoothest switches I've ever used in a prebuilt, stock mainstream gaming keyboard. When Corsair told me the switches were pre-lubed, I didn't think much of it — I've heard that so many times and I've been disappointed almost every time. But I'm in love with the Corsair Reds — they feel and sound fantastic. 

Switches aside, the other standout feature on the K70 Core RGB is the control dial. Not only does the dial look and feel good thanks to its metal construction and notching, it's customizable. The dial can be set to adjust volume, RGB brightness, vertical and horizontal scrolling, and page zoom. All of these features are nice, individually, but I cannot emphasize how much I appreciate the option for horizontal scrolling — I work in Microsoft Excel constantly, and notched horizontal scrolling is a game-changer.

The keyboard features double-shot ABS keycaps with shine-through legends that show off the board's stunning per-key RGB lighting. In my opinion, Corsair by far has the best RGB implementation, in both cases and peripherals.

Unlike other keyboards in the Corsair K70 lineup, the K70 Core RGB does not have a detachable USB-C cable. Instead, it has a six-foot, fixed, rubber USB-C cable — which concerns me as far as future durability. The K70 Core RGB also lacks Corsair's AXON technology. If you're not familiar with AXON, it uses a special microcontroller that ups a keyboard's polling rate to 8,000 Hz, its scanning rate to 4,000 Hz, and adds storage for up to 50 onboard profiles with 20 lighting effects.

Typing and Gaming Experience on the K70 Core RGB

I got the K70 Core RGB just in time for the release of Counter-Strike 2. While I normally don't play the Counter-Strike franchise, as I find it to be a little too competitive, this is a gaming keyboard. So I fired it up — and I was very impressed. The Corsair Reds were smooth and speedy, and their 45g actuation force never felt too heavy — I could drop my Famas assault rifle for my pistol instantaneously.

I eventually shifted gears and started up the Cyperpunk 2077 DLC, Phantom Liberty. My character in Cyberpunk 2077 is built around speed — so I'm always sliding or dashing through the air while throwing knives. Because Cyberpunk 2077 is such a hardware-heavy game, my rig heats up and my hands get pretty sweaty. Fortunately, the double-shot ABS keycaps on the K70 Core RGB weren't overly slick (like a worn-in set of GMK caps).  

I also tested the keyboard in a non-gaming capacity. My full-time job requires a lot of data entry, so I need a solid keyboard to get through the workday. The K70 Core RGB's buttery-smooth switches and nicely sound-dampened case made it a great workhorse, and I didn't once feel the need to switch back to my daily driver. I didn't need to use the board's control dial for horizontal scrolling because I have the Logitech MX Master 3, but the control dial was still convenient for other things, such as volume control. 

My only real issue with this board was the included wrist rest. It has the same football-like texture as the wrist rest that comes with the K70 Max RGB, and it's just not very comfortable.

Software of the K70 Core RGB

The K70 Core RGB is powered by Corsair's universal peripheral iCue software. You can use iCue to remap keys, adjust the keyboard's RGB lighting, record macros, and change various settings. While the keyboard doesn't have Corsair's AXON technology with support for 50 onboard profiles, it does support a much more reasonable five onboard profiles — though you'll have to program onboard profiles and software-based profiles separately because iCue is, like most peripheral software, unusually convoluted.

I was disappointed to discover that the control dial wasn't fully customizable. It's not programmable at all, but comes with five presets that can be toggled on or off for convenience.

Bottom Line

This is the third keyboard from Corsair's K70 lineup that I've reviewed — and it's by far my favorite, despite being the least "premium." In fact, considering the $99.99 price tag, this board is fantastic: the smooth linear switches blew me out of the water, and the complete lack of case ping definitely impressed me. Whatever Corsair did in terms of sound-dampening in the case made this keyboard sound great — much better than any other keyboard I've used from a mainstream gaming company. 

Corsair isn't the only company that's adding enthusiast features to its gaming keyboards — several companies are paying attention to things like case ping and switch lubrication: Razer recently launched the BlackWidow V4 75% and Asus launched both the ROG Azoth and the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless earlier this year. But the K70 Core RGB is both full-size and (just) under $100, which makes it a very tempting deal.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Gaming keyboards have always been, to some extent, about customization. It’s always been more about the software customization rather than physical customization, but several gaming companies have been dipping their toes into keyboard enthusiast territory recently — from SteelSeries’ optical hot-swappable Apex 9 TKL to Razer’s mechanical hot-swappable BlackWidow V4 75% to Asus’ ROG Azoth, which has triple-layer sound-dampening and comes with a DIY switch lube station (and, of course, is also hot-swappable). 

Well, gaming companies aren’t the only ones looking to jump lanes: Keychron, which is known for its custom mechanical productivity keyboards, is going for a spot on the best gaming keyboards list with the new premium, wireless L3, which it just launched under its new gaming sub-brand Lemokey.

The Lemokey L3 is the first (and only, at the moment) keyboard in the new lineup. It’s a wireless, mechanical keyboard with a hot-swappable PCB, a flexible, double-gasket mount design, and low-latency, 2.4-GHz wireless connectivity with a 1,000 Hz polling rate. 

The L3 will come in both fully-assembled and barebones packages; the fully-assembled version includes Keychron-exclusive Gateron Jupiter switches in Red (linear), Brown (tactile), or Banana (tactile) and a set of Cherry-profile keycaps in double-shot PBT. 

The Lemokey L3 launched on Kickstarter, where it’s fully-funded and can still be pre-ordered at a discount — $209 (vs. $214) fully-assembled and $189 (vs $194) barebones. It comes in three colorways (“carbon black,” “navy blue,” and “space silver), and is expected to start shipping in October. 

Design and Construction of the L3 

The Lemokey L3 has a TKL, or 80-percent, layout, which means it has a full set of navigation keys and arrow keys, but lacks the 10-key number pad of a full-size keyboard. The L3 is larger than the average TKL keyboard, however, because it features a row of programmable macro keys and a clickable volume knob (also programmable) on the left side. 

It looks like it’s heavily based on one of Keychron’s existing keyboards — the Keychron Q3 Pro, which has the same TKL layout (complete with macro row and knob) and fully-aluminum body. It’s not an exact replica (the Q3 Pro has rectangular macro keys and slightly different dimensions), but it’s pretty close.

The L3 measures 15.78 inches (401mm) long by 5.39 inches (137mm) wide, and is 1.69 inches (43mm) high (at its highest point, fully-assembled). It’s not huge, but it’s not the best option if you’re trying to conserve space with the TKL layout — it’s nearly two inches longer than the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL (14 x 5.04 x 1.65 inches / 355 x 128 x 42mm), and almost an inch longer than the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless (14.85 x 5.16 x 1.57 inches / 377 x 131 x 40mm) — and the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is a 96-percent layout keyboard (with a number pad, but more compact than full-size).

The L3 is solidly-built — and by “solidly-built,” I mean it’s basically a solid chunk of metal. It features a solid metal body made of CNC-machined 6063 aluminum with a sandblasted, matte finish in either “carbon black,” “navy blue,” or “space silver.” It weighs a hefty 4.36 pounds (1976g) fully assembled, which is quite a bit heavier than most gaming keyboards — even the ones that have been trying to raise the bar with premium casing, extra sound-dampening, and gasket-mount designs. The 75-percent Asus ROG Azoth weighs 2.61 pounds (1186g) — and that’s on the heavier side.

The case is wedge-shaped and has a typing angle of about 5 degrees. There are no flip-out feet for adjusting the angle, nor is there an included wrist rest — though you can purchase one of Keychron’s palm rests (in either wood or resin, sized to fit the L3) separately on Lemokey’s website. The back of the keyboard features a stylized industrial metal design and has four small rubberized feet for grip (though this keyboard is heavy enough that I doubt you’ll have issues with it sliding across your desk). Keychron includes two replacement feet, as well.

The case is fairly solid, save for a vent on the front right (just under the arrow keys), and the USB-C charging port at the back left. Next to the USB-C port there’s a power switch for toggling between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless.

The keyboard has three indicator lights under its navigation stack (though they spend most of their time off. The first indicates charging status — solid red while charging and solid green when fully-charged (off when not plugged into power). The second indicates wireless connection — blinking blue when in Bluetooth pairing mode. It also briefly lights up solid green when you switch over to 2.4-GHz wireless. Once paired, it turns off. The last light is the Caps Lock indicator, and it lights up blue when Caps Lock is on.

The L3 comes in both fully-assembled and barebones versions: the fully-assembled version includes switches and keycaps (and is, well, fully-assembled), while the barebones version does not. It’s pretty standard for keyboard enthusiasts to bring their own switches and keycaps, but if you’re more gamer than keyboard enthusiast, you’re probably looking for something you can use out of the box (the L3 is hot-swappable, so you can always change switches in the future) — luckily, the fully-assembled L3 is only a $20 premium over the barebones version.

I tested the fully-assembled L3 in “space silver.” Each colorway comes with its own unique set of keycaps — “space silver” features white and light gray keycaps with teal accent keys, “carbon black” comes with gray and black keycaps with red accent keys, and “navy blue” includes blue and black keycaps with yellow accent keys. 

The keyboard also comes with a number of accessories: a 2.4-GHz wireless dongle, wireless dongle extender, and a 6-foot (1.8m) braided USB-C to USB-C cable with a removable USB-C to USB-A adapter attached. It also comes with a handful of alternate keycaps, including Command and Option keys for Mac users, as well as tools for further customization — a keycap remover/switch puller, two hex keys, and a screwdriver, plus gaskets and stabilizers.

Specifications

Typing and Gaming Experience on the L3

The fully-assembled L3 comes with Gateron Jupiter switches — which are exclusive to Keychron — in Red (linear), Brown (tactile), or Banana (tactile). Our review unit came with Red linear switches — not my favorite type of switch for pure typing experience, but one that makes sense on a gaming keyboard. Linear switches feature smooth, consistent keypresses with no tactile bump or audible click, which makes them a little faster (and quieter). 

Gateron Jupiter Reds have an operating force of 45g, an actuation point of 2mm, and a total travel distance of 4mm.  They’re almost identical, in both profile and feel, to the popular-among-gamers Cherry MX Red switches (which also have an operating force of 45g, an actuation point of 2mm, and a total travel distance of 4mm). The switches are a good balance between “lightweight enough for speed” and “not so light that they make for a terrible typing experience,” but if you’re really looking for a leg up on speed, you should probably be looking at a keyboard with optical switches (such as the SteelSeries Apex 9 TKL)

Linear switches aside, the L3 offers a great overall typing experience. It features Keychron’s double-gasket mount design and two layers of sound-dampening foam, which means lots of flex but very little case ping. It’s definitely a much better-sounding keyboard than basically all mainstream gaming keyboards — the recently-launched Razer BlackWidow V4 75% did an impressive job improvising case noise over the flagship BlackWidow V4 Pro, but you can tell Keychron’s been doing this for much longer.

The fully-assembled L3 comes with Keychron’s Cherry-profile keycaps in durable double-shot PBT. The keycap colors vary depending on the color keyboard you get — the “space silver” comes with white and light gray keycaps with teal accents, which is a pleasant, if not particularly “gamer” aesthetic. The “carbon black” colorway comes with black and gray keycaps with red accents, which will never not make me think of an old-school ThinkPad, and the “navy blue” colorway comes with navy and black keycaps with yellow accents. (I always appreciate any gaming gear that’s not black on black (on black) and aggressively cycling through the spectrum, but these are just keycap sets Keychron already sells on its website.) 

Cherry-profile keycaps are lower than standard (OEM) profile keycaps, with sculpted tops for comfort and angled rows that allow for less finger movement. Ultimately this means quicker keypresses and less fatigue, so they’re perfect for gaming. The L3’s keycaps were a little slipperier than I prefer, but it didn’t seem to affect my typing — I maintained my typical average of 98% accuracy at 130 wpm. (That’s faster than I usually type, by the way, because I prefer obnoxiously loud, clicky switches, even if they slow me down.)

Gaming on the L3 was about as expected — fine, but not particularly noteworthy. The low-latency, 2.4-GHz wireless connection was solid and low-latency, and the lower profile keycaps helped slightly with speed (as did the slipperiness). But aside from the low-latency wireless connection, there’s not really that much that makes this stand out as a “gaming” keyboard. 

It does have dedicated macro buttons and multiple layers of keymapping available using QMK/VIA, but so do other non-gaming keyboards (this is based on the Keychron Q3 Pro, remember)? That’s not to say it doesn’t make a fairly good gaming keyboard, because it does, especially with linear switches — but I don’t really see this becoming an eSports go-to anytime soon. 

Features and Software of the L3 

The Lemokey L3 supports customization via QMK/VIA, which keyboard enthusiasts will be familiar with. QMK is an open-source firmware package used for programming custom keyboards, and VIA is a more user-friendly software package built off of QMK and has an easy-to-use GUI. You can use VIA to remap keys, record macros, and customize the L3’s lighting with preset lighting effects.

Because QMK/VIA are open-source, they’re not quite as straight-forward (relatively speaking) as software programs that guide you (or forcibly drag you) through the steps of setting everything up. But VIA is pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it, and Keychron provides easy-to-follow instructions (along with the L3 keymap JSON file) to get you started. You can remap the volume knob and macro keys, as well as all keys on the keyboard, up to four layers deep. 

The main drawback of QMK/VIA is that you will miss out on some of the gamer-oriented features mainstream gaming companies implement in their software, such as game-specific (or app-specific) profiles. While I find most mainstream gaming peripheral software to be much more of a headache than it’s worth, I’ll admit that game- and app-based profiles are incredibly handy (when they work). And a lot of gaming companies include pre-built profiles for popular games or types of games — though, not so much for keyboards. The L3 has onboard memory and can store your configuration, but you can’t really set up more than one profile (though you could use a workaround, such as toggling layers). 

As for lighting — you can use one of the 20+ preset lighting effects in VIA, though only a couple are mildly configurable, or you can program the keyboard’s per-key RGB using QMK. The L3 has solid, non-shine-through keycaps and a south-facing PCB, which means the RGB is nice and bright from the typists’ point of view. 

Wireless Experience and Battery Life of the L3 

The L3 offers three forms of connectivity: low-latency 2.4-GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and wired via USB-C. 2.4-GHz wireless is the star feature: this is Keychron’s first wireless keyboard with a 1,000 Hz wireless polling rate. (It’s not their first keyboard with a 1,000 Hz wired polling rate.) 

Polling rate is how often a device “checks in” with the computer and reports its status/data. Non-gaming devices often have a polling rate of 125 Hz (or lower). 125 Hz means the device checks in 125 times per second, or once every eight milliseconds. That means there’s some latency — approximately eight milliseconds’ worth. At 1,000 Hz, the device is checking in 1,000 times per second — once every millisecond, putting the latency at 1ms. 

One millisecond is pretty low — most people will not notice this as lag at all, and — more importantly — will see negligible difference between 1ms of lag and 0.5ms of lag, which is what you’ll get at the next-highest polling rate (2,000 Hz). In other words: the gaming standard is 1,000 Hz, and you shouldn’t notice any lag while gaming on the L3 over a 2.4-GHz wireless connection. You will notice it over the Bluetooth connection, though, which has a polling rate of... 90 Hz.

The L3 has a 4,000mAh battery, and should get around 200 hours over 2.4-GHz wireless with the lighting turned off, and up to 300 hours over Bluetooth (also with the lighting turned off). That’s pretty good for a wireless keyboard, but not overly impressive considering how heavy it is.

The Bottom Line

The Lemokey L3 is a Keychron keyboard with a 1,000 Hz polling rate — so, it’s a Keychron keyboard you can (wirelessly) game on. That’s not a bad thing — Keychron makes solid customizable mechanical keyboards, and has all of the things you’d expect from a premium non-gaming Keychron keyboard (because that’s basically what it is, just with a 1,000 Hz polling rate). 

At ~$214 fully-assembled, the L3 isn’t particularly cheap, but it’s better-priced than many of the premium mainstream gaming keyboards: both the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL and the Asus ROG Azoth retail for $249 (though the Azoth is currently on sale at Amazon for $199). And the open-source QMK/VIA firmware/software package is pretty robust when it comes to programmability, as long as you’re willing to take a little extra time to set everything up.  

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard