Tt eSports by Thermaltake Poseidon ZX Review

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Terms like “tenkeyless” and “80% form factor” mean simply, a keyboard without the number pad — and this format isn’t just popular with gamers.

Look and Feel, Usability and Functionality

Look and Feel

The simple design emphasizes functionality. Fortunately, Tt eSports by Thermaltake didn’t go for the creases, pseudo-military trappings, or other "gamer" aesthetics, which makes for a refreshingly clean impression.

Like all keyboards with these keys, the Poseidon ZX has an inherent vulnerability to crumbs. Otherwise, the matte back surface is surprisingly resistant to fingerprints. Tt eSports by Thermaltake successfully walked the fine line between a rough finish and nice looks.

Speaking of the design, sometimes less really is more. The gently rounded edges and corners are really smooth. The bottom of the Tt eSports by Thermaltake Poseidon ZX is more your typical blocky industrial style, but it’s not like you’ll spend a lot of time looking at it.

The bottom of the Poseidon ZX looks like it was divided into three parts. This is due to two large notches meant for cables. Even the keyboard’s thick connector cable can be threaded through here, not just once, but twice. However, it’s 1.8m length, means that it can’t be stored here without squeezing it in way more than any cable ever should be. This calls the entire function of the two notches into question, since also running the mouse and headset cables through here is a pointless and futile exercise.

Usability and Functionality

Since the Tt eSports by Thermaltake Poseidon ZX’s dimensions are on the lower end of the spectrum, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s no palm rest to be found. We don't really miss it all that much, though. This is due to the very stable hinged feet at the back, which allow for a nice tilt which most users should very much appreciate. The feet also sport a rubber surface where they meet the desk, which is very effective at keeping the Poseidon ZX from sliding.

The rubber pads set into the bottom of the Poseidon ZX also do their part to keep the keyboard in place. The two pads in the front are always in use, whereas the two in the rear only connect with the surface if the keyboard’s hinged feet are folded in.

From an ergonomics point of view, it’s advisable to use the board only in its tilted configuration.

The Poseidon ZX is a very solid offering in spite of its diminutive size. Its torsional rigidity is sufficient, and it weighs in at almost 1kg. The latter, in combination with the rubber pads, effectively keeps the keyboard from going anywhere — even in the middle of the most heated battle.

The build quality is acceptable. Most gaps are exemplary, and the materials also leave a good impression, which speaks for the Tt eSports by Thermaltake Poseidon ZX’s long-term durability.

19 Comments Comment from the forums
  • DarkSable
    You talk about the advantages of it not having a numberpad, but not about the disadvantages.

    1) It's significantly slower to type numbers or serial codes. In other words, for a whole bunch of the office work that you're saying it's so good for.
    2) It means you can't use a program like autohotkey to turn the number pad into a macro pad.
    3) All you say is that if you can live without one and that you shouldn't hesitate to switch to tenkeyless... You're making it out as though it's a BAD thing to have a keyboard with extra functionality, when it's absolutely not.
    Reply
  • blackmagnum
    Too pricey and niche. Why not try a SteelSeries 6GV2?
    Reply
  • itzsnypah
    In this price range ($80) I would rather buy a Cooler Master Quickfire Rapid. It's a rebranded Flico unit with real CherryMX switches. And I get a choice of switches.
    Reply
  • dovah-chan
    No Corsair K65 mention? And I thought it was the best tenkeyless out there. Sure it might not have your flashy LEDs but it has a solid build quality and simplistic looks. Speaking of LEDs I own a Corsair K70 with the blue LEDs and I don't ever use them anyway because they look silly.

    But really if you're that hard pressed for space then just get a bigger desk or a laptop please. The number pad has many unsung properties and is quite useful for any user in a variety of situations.
    Reply
  • Dogsnake
    A Numeric pad is essential to me. Even in everyday home use a separate number entry is helps. The thing is that I use my right hand on the mouse. Keyboards with reversible numeric sections have all but disappeared and there are none combined with a quality mechanical key setup. There are however a number (sic) of third party ad-on numeric pads. The advantage too is that you can move them around and choose your placement even on a crowded or smaller desktop. I think the question here is if this is a quality keyboard with durability? I agree the price is a bit steep given the many alternatives on the market.
    Reply
  • nezzymighty
    You talk about the advantages of it not having a numberpad, but not about the disadvantages.

    1) It's significantly slower to type numbers or serial codes. In other words, for a whole bunch of the office work that you're saying it's so good for.
    2) It means you can't use a program like autohotkey to turn the number pad into a macro pad.
    3) All you say is that if you can live without one and that you shouldn't hesitate to switch to tenkeyless... You're making it out as though it's a BAD thing to have a keyboard with extra functionality, when it's absolutely not.


    DarkSable, I agree with you... it is all subjective... this is no longer a "News" report, but rather an advertisement... it favors an opinion rather than reporting facts... a lot of articles have been trending this way...

    Many companies/industries pay writers to mix opinions to sway to a particular product in their favor. I think they're termed kick-backs. They defend positions with true facts, and willfully neglect others that would otherwise be a deficiency, as you pointed out.

    Point in-case mechanical keyboards are not exclusive to the gaming demographics (which I believe Thermaltake, with Tom's help is hoping to impress).

    There's a lot of great information provided by Tom's to the masses. The question is, do they want to be the Time Magazine of the technology industry, or do they want to become it's National Inquirer?
    Reply
  • zanny
    I have a Quickfire Rapid from 2010. I intentionally avoided the keypad, and I like it much better. Being able to position the mouse and keyboard closer makes it much easier to switch between typing and mouse + keyboard work, and if I want a numpad I can always get a usb numpad.
    Reply
  • dovah-chan
    14098355 said:
    You talk about the advantages of it not having a numberpad, but not about the disadvantages.

    1) It's significantly slower to type numbers or serial codes. In other words, for a whole bunch of the office work that you're saying it's so good for.
    2) It means you can't use a program like autohotkey to turn the number pad into a macro pad.
    3) All you say is that if you can live without one and that you shouldn't hesitate to switch to tenkeyless... You're making it out as though it's a BAD thing to have a keyboard with extra functionality, when it's absolutely not.


    DarkSable, I agree with you... it is all subjective... this is no longer a "News" report, but rather an advertisement... it favors an opinion rather than reporting facts... a lot of articles have been trending this way...

    Many companies/industries pay writers to mix opinions to sway to a particular product in their favor. I think they're termed kick-backs. They defend positions with true facts, and willfully neglect others that would otherwise be a deficiency, as you pointed out.

    Point in-case mechanical keyboards are not exclusive to the gaming demographics (which I believe Thermaltake, with Tom's help is hoping to impress).

    There's a lot of great information provided by Tom's to the masses. The question is, do they want to be the Time Magazine of the technology industry, or do they want to become it's National Inquirer?


    I do too feel like this one is just a PR news release. I would rather instead have a big lineup comparing the features and build quality of a bunch of tenkeyless boards in a similar price range (sorta like tom's does with cases sometimes) rather than just reviewing one board and sometimes mentioning other boards for a comparison.

    In fact I feel like the gaming peripherals market is very under looked here at tom's. Every once in a while I might see a link to tom's guide to some random peripheral (lately it's been corsair products) but that's it. Everything else is just news of a new product coming out from X company.

    Why don't we just have a yearly keyboard and mouse lineup? Maybe have an article for the keyboard reviews and the mice reviews. In each article they would choose 15 products and divide them by three sections each containing five peripherals: Budget tier ($0-$20~), Mid tier ($30-$90), and High end ($100+).

    So it would go like this:

    Budget Tier- Logitech K120
    - Corsair Raptor K30
    - Rosewill RK-8100
    - CM Storm Devastator
    - Gigabyte Force K3

    Mid Tier- Corsair Raptor K40
    - Razer Deathstalker
    - Microsoft Sidewinder X4
    - Logitech G105
    - Steel Series Apex

    High End- Logitech G19s
    - Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 Edition
    - Corsair K70
    - Ducky Channel Shine III
    - Rosewill RGB80

    And in each category you would first give us a brief introduction to each board (packaging, features, build quality, included software,functionality, etc.) then compare each board by assessing the value of it and how useful the features are alongside the quality of the product's presentation. Then on the next article you just do the same thing but with mice. If you want I'll give you a tier list of mice as well.

    The bottom line is that I would love an article like that. I would also ADORE tom's if they were to cover the topic of companies that produce mice sensors such as avago and pixart. Other good things to mention would be the misinterpretation of DPI and acceleration, flawless sensors (might require a bit of extensive testing), and mice switches (aka left and right MB). Just some ideas from a loyal reader.
    Reply
  • Zepid
    If you don't use a tenkey in your day to day computer use, then frankly you aren't buying this with your own money. Be a good kid and don't waste your parents' money on what amount to luxury items.

    That said I love my Ducky keyboard with green switches. I couldn't live without the tactile feedback and hypnotic click.
    Reply
  • FormatC
    @dovah-chan:
    This review from me was published on German site first. We have there a lot of such reviews so it doesn't look like advertising. We have simply more bandwith in some kind of periphery:)

    I'm using each product about I wrote for a longer period by myself to make a real-world test. Only 1 hour of usage ist too less for an objective conclusion ;)
    Reply