Turtle Beach Impact 700 Mechanical Keyboard Review: The Sweet Spot?

Tests And Performance

Key Rollover

The Impact 700 offers 6KRO, plus the modifier keys, and we can confirm that spec. As to why Turtle Beach opted for 6KRO instead of 10KRO or NKRO, this ensures a baseline for all users. Whether you're on a new PC, old PC or a Mac, the 6KRO will work.

Audio

In describing the auditory experience of the Impact 700, I would almost copy and paste my description of the Impact 500--that is, you get very little extra noise when typing on this keyboard. There is roughly the same amount of "ping" here as there is on the Impact 500. The Impact 500 has clickier Blue switches, which masks the ping more than the Impact 700's quieter Browns, but even so, you won't hear it too much unless you're typing somewhat forcefully. Again, the bowl design likely helps out here.

Performance Notes

Like the Impact 500, the Impact 700 employs Costar-like stabilizers under the larger keys, and I will offer the same criticism: I personally do not like their stability, and I feel as though they create too much wobble. They also sound noisier to me than Cherry-style stabs. They are certainly more difficult to remove, and they're all too easy to break when you feel the need to pop one off for cleaning.

In selecting the Cherry MX Brown switches, though, Turtle Beach was spot on. Browns are a sort of average of smooth, linear Red switches and clicky, tactile Blues. Many typers like Browns because they offer some tactility but are still fairly smooth for gaming. (That is not to say that Blues aren't good for gaming.)

Thus, like many Brown switch-equipped keyboards, the Impact 700 is as appropriate in the office as it is in the gaming lair. This jibes with the overall design of the Impact 700, which can be either inconspicuous, with no lighting and a simpler all-black design, or a little more fun and ostentatious with the red backlighting kicked on.