The HyperX Alloy Elite RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review: A New High-End Challenger
by E. Fylladitakis on January 24, 2019 8:00 AM EST
Nearly all growing companies attempt to diversify and expand into other segments of the market, yet very few do so as boldly as Kingston did. They are one of the oldest companies in the PC business but were almost exclusively focused on memory-related products. Even after they founded HyperX, their “advanced” or “gaming” side-brand, the company remained almost exclusively focused on RAM and flash memory products.
However a few years ago, HyperX took a leap of faith and decided to diversify their products range to include gaming peripherals. They initially released a single mechanical keyboard, the Alloy FPS, a keyboard that was designed to be durable and practical, but with a minimalistic design. Their release came at a time when keyboard designs were gradually getting more complex and extravagant, with users appreciating HyperX’s fresh approach and making the Alloy FPS a huge success.
After the initial success HyperX had entering the peripherals market, they released several input and audio related products, as well as new mechanical keyboards, establishing a foothold on the peripherals market. To that end, for today's review we are taking a look at the latest and most advanced mechanical keyboard that the company currently offers, the HyperX Alloy Elite RGB.
At first sight, the new keyboard looks just like the Alloy Elite that the company released about a year ago, and accordingly many would wrongly surmise that HyperX merely added RGB lighting to it. However, the latest version of the Alloy Elite mechanical keyboard goes well beyond its predecessor, adding advanced programmability options, improved software, and RGB lighting, making it a much stronger contender for the high-end mechanical keyboard market. And just as well, as with a price tag of $140, HyperX needs something that can go toe-to-toe with the best keyboards if they want to charge matching high-end prices.
Packaging and Bundle
We received the HyperX Alloy Elite RGB in a large, sturdy cardboard box. The artwork is relatively simple, focused on a picture of the keyboard itself, yet it stands out a lot due to the many colors involved. Two extra stickers at the top right and bottom left corners of the box indicate the installed switches and the keyboard’s layout respectively.
HyperX includes eight extra “gaming” silver-colored keycaps, as well as a keycap puller, into the keyboard’s bundle. Four of the keycaps (WASD) are also textured, while the other four (1234) are not. We also found basic installation and support documentation inside the box.
A removable full-size plastic wrist rest is also supplied alongside with the Alloy Elite RGB. A tread-plate pattern, similar to that of the textured extra keycaps, covers more than half of the wrist rest. The surface of the wrist rest is treated to feel soft and smooth to the touch.
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.