CONCLUSION

   When EVGA announced their new Z-series of gaming keyboards (Z15/Z20) a while back I was very interested to see what they had been working on and I have to say that the Z20 doesn’t disappoint. Build quality is very high, the light strike LK switches used offer very good feedback, its RGB lighting is one of the best I’ve seen to date and as for the 4k polling rate and ToF sensor well they may not change the way we see keyboards but they do offer something new we haven’t seen in the past (at least when it comes to the ToF sensor). The dedicated macro and multimedia keys are also a plus as is the high quality magnetic wrist rest. Unfortunately, not all is perfect so aside the main area being smaller compared to that of a regular sized keyboard (EVGA obviously didn’t want the extra macro keys to extend the maximum length of the keyboard by a lot) the light strike switches are quite loud when used. Now that’s not really a problem for me (nor can I put it in the cons since this depends largely on each person) but some people just may not like that so I do hope EVGA expands the available switches to include less audible models.

   Retailing currently for USD151.42 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 143Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Z20 Optical Gaming Keyboard by EVGA is priced pretty much how I was expecting it to be. So not much more one can say, quality, performance, looks, the EVGA Z20 just has it all and that’s why it clearly deserves the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Light Strike LK Optical Mechanical Switches (100 Million Actuations)
- Full RGB Key Illumination (Custom Effects / Per Key Color / Left & Right RGB LED Bars)
- Innovative Features (4K Polling Rate / ToF Sensor)
- 5 Dedicated Macro Keys
- USB 2.0 & 3.5mm Passthrough
- Detachable Magnetic Faux Leather Wrist Rest
- Dedicated Multimedia Controls
- Unlease RGB Software

CONS

- Only Two Available Switches (Linear/Clicky)
- Main Body Slightly Smaller Than Regular Keyboards