Mechanical keyboards are all the rage now and we love seeing each periphial company’s take on the quintessential gaming keyboard. The G.skill KM780 is one of the latest we’ve taken for a spin here at the Gameranx office. So how does it stack up to existing models from other makers?
G.Skill even producing a keyboard may turn some heads. It’s well-known and ambitious company that’s generally known for their ram, not peripherals. But lately companies like Corsair and others have turned to making side options in addition to their main product line. In general, it’s good thing, and G.Skill’s expansion into keyboards is indelibly a good thing. As it turns out, their mechanical keyboards seem to be cut from the same reputable cloth. The keyboard is a high end gaming keyboard made of durable materials, coming with adeptly chosen features and specifications for today’s gamer—including USB ports, cable mouse holders, and programmable macro keys as well as three user profiles.
The biggest draw of the keyboard beside it bold, futuristic design (which includes brilliant rainbow LED lighting as a major plus) is its high quality switches. The review unit we received used Cherry MX Red switches and they were perfect: each press with a key had a nice tactile bump and a clean feedback that worked great while playing Dota 2 and mashing buttons. The keyboard easily matches its $169 USD price point on performance alone, every sentence typed on it was a solid experience and each combo banged out had appropriate feedback.
In fact, the only part of the keyboard we didn’t like was the wrist wrest. We found it to be bulky. Luckily it is completely removable and we appreciate G.Skill adding that option for people who prefer more minimalistic designs on their gaming keyboards.
G.Skill’s KM780R looks good and feels good too. The raised keyboard layout made it easy to clean, the mouse cable holder plus the keyboard’s ports helped manage our jungle of cables, and the keys themselves felt tactile and strong with each input. It innovated enough while still providing a standard mechanical keyboard experience. Overall, it feels good and it’s especially impressive for their first foray into the world of peripherals. Give them some time along with a couple of revisions, and they’ll likely be strong contenders for well-designed, sturdy mechanical keyboards.
Disclosure: A review unit was provided by G.skill.
