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Patriot Viper V760 Keyboard Review

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Final Analysis

It is not an insult to say that the Patriot Viper V760 is almost a commodity keyboard. As we mentioned at the top of this article, there are scores (if not hundreds) of gaming keyboards on the market right now that are strikingly similar in terms of design and features, and this is one of them. However, no matter how you slice it, the V760 is a solid keyboard--just as good if not a little better or worse than a vast amount of the competition.

One of the main selling points in today’s commoditized keyboard market is brand. Companies that have a good reputation for X product are now producing keyboards and mice, and the logic is that if you like what the brand has made before, you may like what the brand is now making. One of the hooks is pairing a mouse and keyboard together, giving you a branded one-two peripheral punch. To that end, the V760 should go well with the existing V560 mouse or the upcoming V570 or V530 mice.

It’s funny that Patriot’s lighting design could be a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it. On one hand, it’s great to have so many lighting controls available via (labelled) keyboard shortcuts, making the V760 a plug-and-play device with lots of onboard capabilities. On the other hand, who will remember what all those secondary characters mean and which combinations do what? And besides, you still need the software to change the colors.

Based both on objective measurements and subjective observations, V760’s build quality is average. Although the plate-mounted design makes for better audio quality and reduces flexion, the plate is aluminum, not steel, and it’s somewhat thin around the edges.

The price of the Viper V760 is right about where you’d expect it. It is true that you can find a number of keyboards for much less than $120, but considering the plate-mounted design, onboard features, removable wrist rest, and the extra software-enabled capabilities, that’s a reasonably competitive price in the current market.


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9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • nycalex 22 April 2017 14:23
    quick everybody join in the rgb mech keyboard bandwagon!
    Reply
  • 0451 22 April 2017 17:12
    TH wrote several news articles about the XMIT Hall Effect RGB keyboard. The question is not "Why are there so many commodity keyboards?" but rather, "Why do you keep reviewing commodity keyboards when you have something much more interesting lying around?"
    Reply
  • gio2vanni86 22 April 2017 23:06
    Love my corsair K95 RGB. Its the love of what i love.
    Reply
  • scolaner 23 April 2017 12:26
    19597763 said:
    TH wrote several news articles about the XMIT Hall Effect RGB keyboard. The question is not "Why are there so many commodity keyboards?" but rather, "Why do you keep reviewing commodity keyboards when you have something much more interesting lying around?"

    That's a fair question. The answer is nuanced. Our goal as a publication is not simply to review the coolest stuff; we want to examine as much of each market as possible--the gear people are spending their hard-earned money on, and the gear that stands out as truly remarkable. Sometimes that means reviewing less sexy gear--as you (probably correctly) call them, "commodity keyboards". Because maybe the commodity stuff is actually really great. Maybe it's garbage. But we won't know until we review them, and in the meantime, people are buying them.

    Further, we're not just in the business of reviews, we're in the business of *comparative* reviews. So taking a look at a bigger range of the market means we can do a better job of comparing these devices to one another.

    Finally, fear not--there's more diversity and some really interesting stuff coming soon. :) And we'll put the XMIT Hall Effect in the queue as soon as he sends me one! :D
    Reply
  • demonkoryu 23 April 2017 12:59
    A fully programmable RGB mechanical KB for 90 bucks? Is there any competing product at that price?
    Reply
  • JackBurton 24 April 2017 21:14
    Looks like a pretty shameless Corsair Strafe ripoff. I love my Corsair though.
    Reply
  • bgunner 26 April 2017 18:59
    One thing that struck me a a possibly problematic is the the keyboard shortcut of FN + Pause/Break to reset the keyboard to factory settings. I don't know about the rest of the keyboard users, as if there are many other options, but sometimes when a program freezes my PC I get irritated and start mashing buttons with both hands. Wiping my settings accidentally because I'm frustrated would send me to the other room for an hour to cool down. A button or switch on the backside next to the wire or USB port would be a great addition to stop the double handed freak out because I'm an idiot move.

    A great article with tons of information. Kudos to you for doing a great job with it. After reading your previous article on How you test the keyboard switches I was slightly worried that the graphs would be difficult to grasp but your explanations relieved that worry.
    Reply
  • eojhet 27 April 2017 02:28
    I bought this keyboard back in December for $80. There was nothing else with this feature set for that sum of money. I need a 10 key on the right side, so Corsair didn't cut it. I love this keyboard, I think the brown switches are beautiful and so is the lighting. I only wish it matched with my Razer mouse and pad, but I can't pay the prices they want for their Chroma keyboards, so screw it. Highly recommended.
    Reply
  • zthomas 28 April 2017 03:43
    i'm on my fourth mech keyboard.. the pad has to have a volume wheel.. for me to even consider.. this flashy lighted board..
    Reply