Capsule Review: Rosewill's RK-9000 Mechanical Keyboard
by Dustin Sklavos on January 26, 2012 12:40 AM EST- Posted in
- Keyboard
- Peripherals
- Rosewill
- Cherry MX
- Input Devices
Conclusion: Worth the Upgrade
I know there are a lot of users out there that honestly just don't care that much about how their computing experience goes. My dad couldn't care less, as long as the mouse is reasonably responsive and he gets a recognizable picture on the screen. He's not a heavy duty typist, so as long as he can press a key and have that letter appear, he doesn't care. A keyboard like the Rosewill RK-9000 is most definitely not for someone like him.
Chances are, though, if you're reading AnandTech you're not like him, in which case this review is most definitely for you. Many users cheap out on the basic peripherals: the screen, the keyboard, the mouse. They shoot for adequate. Yet while there's been a decent market for good screens and especially good mice, supposedly high-end keyboards (typically gaming keyboards) still often leave a lot to be desired. When you're using your computer, there should be as little abstracting your experience with it as possible. If you notice the peripherals you're using, it should only ever be in a positive way. Of course, there is the concern of others noticing your typing if you're in a cubicle with neighbors that don't like all the clicking, but at least your boss will be able to hear you hard at work.
While the month of use I've put the Rosewill RK-9000 has revealed to me that the white printing on the keyboards isn't quite as durable as I would like, and the generic appearance does leave something to be desired, as a pure typing apparatus the RK-9000 and its Cherry MX Blue switches is easily the best keyboard I've used in a long time. $99 is a lot to ask for the kind of commodity peripheral you can get for $10, but the RK-9000 makes a very convincing case for the expense.
Other keyboards with Cherry MX Blue switches exist, but most are priced similarly to the Rosewill or higher, and without trying all of them we can't easily say which is best. Regardless of that fact, while I'm concerned about the print wearing out and I can't (yet) compare the experience to other high-end mechanical switch keyboards, I can say that overall the typing experience was great. For writers or others who primarily type (e.g. not gamers), the Rosewill RK-9000 seems to be worth the price.
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bigboxes - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - link
You assume incorrectly. Mechanical keyboards reduce fatigue and injuries from repetitious motions. You want carpal tunnel or some similar injury? Keep on using cheap keyboards.MrSpadge - Friday, January 27, 2012 - link
It's your finger suddenly hitting something hard which causes the stress.. so a projected keyboard is actually the worst case for that. Try it for a minute on the table, your foremost finger joint will start to hurt quickly.Pylon757 - Saturday, January 28, 2012 - link
With most mechanical keyboards, you can actuate the switch (i.e. send a signal to the computer) without having to press all the way down. With practice, people can type only pressing the key about 75% down, which might reduce stress like what you mentioned. With rubber dome membrane switches, you have to press the key all the way down, and thus you're going against a hard surface.On the other hand, if you do go down all the way on a mechanical keyboard, it hits the bottom a lot harder since there isn't rubber cushioning you like on a rubber dome keyboard.
mcbowler - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - link
I still have an old IBM keyboard in storage that I miss. I bought a new unicomp keyboard to replace it.. but it has a weird problem of registering two keystrokes randomly when I only typed one. Now I use the Logitech Solar Keyboard K750.drwho9437 - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - link
Good guide to the mechanical boards on the market can be found here:http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keybo...
It details differences in keycaps and switch force curves. I have several MX blue boards they mostly are similar. The switch type is the biggest defining trait of a keyboard. I am not a gamer though more program and write.
Kegetys - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - link
Something the mechanical keyboards in the market currently seem to miss is proper, dedicated media keys. Many of them list "media keys" on their specs but in reality they are done as combo keys usually by replacing one of the windows keys. This kind of sucks, I'd want at least volume control, mute and a few other keys. The only mechanical keyboards I have found that have proper media keys are the Corsair K60/K90, but those apparently do not have all the keys mechanical (the media keys themselves do not need to of course). The K90 also has the extra macro keys at the left which makes it a bit too big.drwho9437 - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - link
Ducky DK9008 has stuff.randinspace - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - link
I don't know man, I had a visit from my muse the other day and by the time she'd left I was horrified to discover that I'd typed 30 freaking pages. Even if I wasn't hypersensitive to noise in the first place (wearing a pair of noise cancelling headphones with the volume set to 1% as I type this) I don't think I'd be able to move SOMETHING right now if I'd attempted that feat on a keyboard with a standard configuration.Side recommendation to anyone who's ever thought they had a novel in them: don't EVER try to write more than a couple pages a day using a laptop's built-in keyboard. Even the most expensive keyboards on the market (like this thing: http://www.amazon.com/KB500USB-WHT-Kinesis-Advanta... to say nothing of Microsoft's ergonomic wireless options) are cheaper than EEGs and arm braces and weekly physical therapy sessions...
pj_camp - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - link
Unicomp bought and carried on the old IBM M-series technology. The damn things are bulletproof. I've had mine for going on 10 years now and no keys have faded in the least. Plus, you get to sound like an army falling down the stairs when you type.somewho - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - link
Mechanical keyboards are really a great thing. I'm currently using a Noppoo Choc Pro with MX Blues and the differences with my previous $10 logitech keyboard is really day and night. Here's some of my opinion that can (hopefully) reduce the vague advantages of a mechanical keyboard :Zero flexes : in a good mechanical keyboard, the switches are mounted to a special metal plate instead of the PCB, thus making the keyboard very rigid and pratically flexless, unlike those cheap keyboard that use cheap plastic for the case.
Shorter attenuation point : in a typical rubber dome keyboard, the attenuation point (the time when the press register), is always at the bottom of the key travel, so you have to do a full press to properly register a key. In mechanical keyboard (with MX switches, at least), the attenuation point usually happens halfway, so you don't need to bottom out to properly register a key.
Tactile feedback : in a tactile mechanical switches, like MX blue and brown, the key will give you a tactile (and audio, in blues) feedback when a keypress is registered, so you can be sure your key is pressed correctly.
Consistent typing force : the rubber in rubber dome keyboard will lose their elasticity (the "squishiness") far sooner than a metal spring. You know, a lot of cheap keyboard used for heavy gaming will lose the elasticity on the WASD cluster very soon, making the keys unusable. This won't be happening soon with a mechanical switch, due to the metal spring used instead of rubber.
N-key rollover : Most mechanical keyboard that use PS/2 interface can correctly register multiple keypress at one time, making your epic CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+E+X+S+F+G+J super combo possible (even much more). For USB mehcanicak keyboard, usually they're limited to 6KRO (6 key at once) due to the limitation of USB interface. altough my Choc Pro (also USB) can handle 36KRO.
Customizable : Most mechanical keyboard that use cherry switch is also very customizable. You can buy 3rd party keycaps and make your keyboard looks like whatever you want. You can even order customized ones from wasdkeyboards.com
Well, I guess that helps!