Test System And The Five Candidates
Test configuration and selection of the test objects
Our test introduces five mechanical keyboards that are currently on the market. We received a Mionix Zibal 60, but because the manufacturer dragged its feet sending us the layout we wanted, we decided to test the Ione X-Armor instead. This wired sister of the U27 is already a legend among aficionados.
The games used for testing include typical representatives from various genres, from Doom 3, Half Life 2, Crysis 2, WoW, and Need for Speed to Duke Nukem, Wolfenstein, Jack Jazzrabbit, and some other classics, which we test on a separate DOS-based system. WoW represents the test category of suitability for massively multi-player online role-playing games. Word processing capability is tested in Microsoft Word 2007.
Test System
We affix great importance to a native PS/2 interface, because the current high-end keyboards have at least one of these ports. We also used technology and games that exclude delays caused by an overloaded system.
| Test System 1 (2011) | |
|---|---|
| CPU and Cooler | Intel Core i7 2600K (Sandy Bridge) @ 4.5 GHz, Prolimatech Genesis, 2 x Vertex Blue |
| Mainboard and RAM | Gigabyte Z68X-UD7B3, 8 GB Kingston HyperX 1600 Genesis |
| Graphics Card | Gainward GeForce GTX 580 Phantom |
| Hard Drive | Samsung SSD 470-Series, 1 TB WD Caviar Blue |
| Connection Ports | PS/2 and USB, both tested |
| Operating System | Windows Ultimate x64 |
Of course, we ran classic games in their usual environments. For this, we revved up an older test machine.
| Test System 2 (1992) | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Cyrix 386 DX40 |
| RAM | 8 MB RAM |
| Graphics Card | Tsenglabs ET3000 |
| Hard Drive | IBM, 500 MB |
| Connection Ports | PS/2 (via original Cherry Adapter PS/2 to DIN ) |
| Operating System | MS-DOS 6.1 |
Keyboards Tested
| Overview of the keyboards tested | |
|---|---|
| SteelSeries 6Gv2 |
Ione X-Armor U9BL
Ione X-Armor U27 (Gemini)
Zowie Celeritas
Razer BlackWidow
