The HyperX Alloy Elite RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review: A New High-End Challenger
by E. Fylladitakis on January 24, 2019 8:00 AM ESTPer-Key Quality Testing
In order to test the quality and consistency of a keyboard, we are using a texture analyser that is programmed to measure and display the actuation force of the standard keyboard keys. By measuring the actuation force of every key, the quality and consistency of the keyboard can be quantified. It can also reveal design issues, such as the larger keys being far softer to press than the main keys of the keyboard. The actuation force is measured in Centinewton (cN). Some companies use another figure, gram-force (gf). The conversion formula is 1 cN = 1.02 gf (i.e. they are about the same). A high-quality keyboard should be as consistent as possible, with an average actuation force as near to the manufacturer's specs as possible and a disparity of less than ±10%. Greater differences are likely to be perceptible by users. It is worth noting that there is typically variance among keyboards, although most keyboard companies will try and maintain consistency - as with other reviews, we're testing our sample only.
The machine we use for our testing is accurate enough to provide readings with a resolution of 0.1 cN. For wider keys (e.g. Enter, Space Bar, etc.), the measurement is taking place at the center of the key, right above the switch. Note that large keys generally have a lower actuation force even if the actuation point is at the dead center of the key. This is natural, as the size and weight of the keycap reduce the required actuation force. For this reason, we do display the force required to actuate every key but we only use the results of the typically sized keys for our consistency calculations. Still, very low figures on medium sized keys, such as the Shift and Enter keys reveal design issues and can easily be perceptible by the user.
Cherry’s MX switches never surprise us, showing nearly identical figures on every keyboard that we have tested to this date. HyperX's Alloy Elite RGB is very consistent, with the disparity across the main keys barely reaching ± 2.7%. At this point, we should note that very rarely we get such consistency figures from keyboards without genuine Cherry MX switches. The average actuation force of the standard keys is 45 cN, matching exactly the manufacturer’s specifications.
Hands-on Testing
I always try to use every keyboard that we review as my personal keyboard for at least a week. My typical weekly usage includes a lot of typing (about 100-150 pages), a few hours of gaming and some casual usage, such as internet browsing and messaging. I tend to prefer Cherry MX Brown or similar (tactile) switches for such tasks but, personally, I am also well accustomed to the quietness and linearity of the Cherry MX Red switch. Even though they lack tactile feedback, Cherry’s MX switches are comfortable for professional use and long typing sessions due to the low travel force and respectable travel. Some users need some time to get used to them because their low travel force makes is easy to bottom down the key hard, stressing muscles and tendons, forcing the users to lower their keystroke force. While Cherry’s MX Red RGB switches lack tactile feedback, they also are relatively quiet, greatly increasing the acoustic comfort of the user and of everyone in the immediate vicinity. These switches perhaps are the only plausible choice for a mechanical keyboard in shared/office environments.
When it comes to gaming, the Alloy Elite RGB performs exactly as intended. The keyboard is very comfortable for long gaming sessions, especially in games where long keystrokes or very quick keystrokes are common, as the relatively low actuation force will not stress the user’s hands. Regardless of their low actuation force, the keys reset quickly and reliably, making the keyboard very responsive to repeated rapid keystrokes. The per-key programmability should work miracles for advanced users, professionals and gamers alike. Only very specific groups of gamers may be disappointed by the limiting macro recorder but, if necessary, this obstacle can be bypassed by using a third-party macro generator.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
34 Comments
View All Comments
Azethoth - Saturday, January 26, 2019 - link
I like to live not within my means or need, but within my want.Anyway, if you want nice pricing just keep a watch over at massdrop. They have constant drops for gaming peripherals.
Valantar - Friday, January 25, 2019 - link
While I "understand" the logic behind PeachNCream's statement, I wholeheartedly agree with your stance here, even coming from one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The Milton Friedman-derived status quo (and current legal practice) of american business where profit is the only real motive for running a business is absurd when viewing business as part of an actual world. While differentiating between "real" and "fabricated" need is at best a sliding scale and at worst impossible, there's plenty of evidence of how unregulated businesses are able to fabricate consumer wants/needs that are detrimental to the well-being of consumers.There's a whole host of factors more important than shareholder profits (one might argue that shareholder profits ought to _not_ be a priority, given how accumulation of wealth harms society):
- Ensuring steady gainful employment for people
- Manufacturing products that meet societal needs
- Ensuring worker safety and welfare
- Ensuring that manufacturing is as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible
and plenty of others. Single-minded profit-orientation is a recipe for disaster.
PeachNCream - Friday, January 25, 2019 - link
Much of what you're arguing is perfectly valid and I can't disagree. Then again, when your investment income starts to outpace your working income after years of careful personal financial management, strict adherence to a budget, and aggressive investing is it unreasonable to hold people responsible to account? I'm not mega wealthy. I'm not in the 1% (at least not by US standards though possibly on a global scale) so what I've worked for is something I'm eager to protect since I've had to live in poor conditions and grind to get where I am. If my nest is padded by a few computer hardware manufacturers creating a premium keyboard category so they can eek out a bigger margin per sale on the people willing to buy said keyboards -- eh, it's not something I'm going to lose sleep over since those same people will sometimes come out of the woodwork to defend their purchases if they get called into question. They have every right to do that just as much as I have space to expect a company to cater to those people and pass the dividends back up the stack to me.stoatwblr - Thursday, January 31, 2019 - link
"one might argue that shareholder profits ought to _not_ be a priority"Indeed.
The argument that commercial law forces companies to "maximise income for the shareholder" results in companies acting in ways that - if they were human - we'd call pathological sociopaths.
One of the bigger problems in the USA is that once you have an operation tuned for sociopathy, you end up with sociopaths in higher management (until their selfishness inevitably destroys the company, usually by hollowing it out from the inside to line "elite" pockets including their own)
stoatwblr - Thursday, January 31, 2019 - link
30 years ago, mechanical keyboards (like the Model M) easily cost upwards of $250. When you adjust for inflation this makes them even more expensive.Even a basic mechanical keyboard would set you back $125 in 1994.
WRT your comment about Pickup trucks: Look up "The Chicken Tax" on Wikipedia and you'll understand why pickups became both popular _and_ expensive, whilst simultaneously destroying US Domestic car manufacturing viability - thanks to import tariffs. (Hint: pickups/vans have a _much_ higher profit margin than cars, so marketing pushes people in that direction)
werpu - Thursday, February 7, 2019 - link
Well the model M was an entirely different beast and very very durable, actually 30 years ago there was the Model M and then everyone else, with Cherry being in the mediocre low cost field. The downside of the Model m from a modern perspective is that it can only handle one pressure of the main character keys at a time (which is perfect for typing but not so for gaming) . But the thing was a tank, beginning from the keycaps ending with the switches and it was built to cope heavy typing for decades and I have never had a keyboard afterwards with such a clear and string pressure point (ymmv if you like that) and it was loud.Cherries have not changed that much, but the quality of the rest went downhill which means Cherry now is top of the heap and then there is everyone else using cheap chinese Cherry knockoffs with a lower quality branding them as their own developments.
stoatwblr - Thursday, January 31, 2019 - link
You can get genuine Cherry G80 / MX3000 keyboards for less than $60 if you look around.No leds, no multimedia keys, no USB hub - but they're great keyboards (even if officemates complain about the clackiness)
QChronoD - Thursday, January 24, 2019 - link
Maybe I missed it in the software section, but does the software have to be running all the time for the lights and media controls to work or does it actually program the keyboard and then you can close it and everything still works?Zeromus2003 - Thursday, January 24, 2019 - link
I own this keyboard...its AWESOME! The software saves 3 RGB layouts in the kyeboard itself. I love being able to hit the button and cycle through 3 of my fave designs. Best keyboard I have ever used, period!Zeromus2003 - Thursday, January 24, 2019 - link
Q, you won't need the Ngenuity software once you save your 3 layouts. The buttons for media work fine without it.