INTRODUCTION

    The keyboard has been the primary input device for computers forever and even though as a concept it hasn't changed that much (if at all really) through the years manufacturers are doing their best to introduce new and interesting models in the market. Some of things we see added on keyboards in order to increase their popularity among consumers and professionals alike are different types of switches (membrane, mechanical, hybrid, optical and even magnetic/hall effect ones), ARGB/RGB lighting, small displays, macro and multimedia keys, different sizes and modular pieces. be quiet! today officially released their first attempt in the input peripherals market with the Light & Dark Mount Silent Gaming Keyboards both of which I've been using both for just over 2 weeks.

    We are the German premium brand manufacturer of quiet hardware components for gaming, workstations and desktop PCs. Since our foundation in 2001, we are proud to have more than 20 years of experience in the industry. Our goal from the very beginning has been to develop products of the highest quality that are not only quiet, but also extremely powerful. With a wide range of power supplies, PC cases, water and air coolers and fans, we have established ourselves as a leading manufacturer in this field.

    Both the Light & Dark Mount are full sized models that feature brushed aluminum top plates and are available with two different type of hot-swappable factory lubricated switches (orange silent linear and black silent tactile - genuine Cherry stabilizers) and in 4 layouts (US, UK, DE and FR). They also feature the Arm Cortex-M0 processor (with onboard memory for profile storing), per-key RGB lighting with surround LED bars, full N-Key rollover with anti-ghosting, 3 foam layers for the keys, 1000Hz polling rate, PBT double-shot keycaps, detachable USB-C cable and magnetic wrist rests. This however is where their similarities end and so the Light Mount follows the typical keyboard form with the addition of an aluminum 3D media wheel, mute key and 5 macro/multimedia keys  while the Dark Mount follows the somewhat recent modular design so you can attach its numeric keypad with its 8 customizable display keys on either side of the main body (tenkeyless) and its compact LCD media dock either on the front left or right (similar to the Everest Max by Mountain). be quiet! has created a brand new control software for their peripherals called IO center which also has a website version available. Both keyboards feel extremely well made so let's see how well they do.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Both keyboards get shipped inside black boxes that have a large product picture at the front right under the company logo and just over the product name.

The product specifications along with the keyboard layout, be quiet! about in 3 languages and the OS requirement (this is actually important) are all printed at the rear.

Even though the Light Mount is placed inside a formed piece of cardboard the Dark Mount is placed inside pieces of foam.

In terms of bundle the Light Mount comes with its detachable magnetic wrist rest, detachable USB-C to USB-A cable, switch & keycap puller and the user manual whereas the Dark Mount comes with its numeric keypad, LCD media dock, two magnetic wrist rests (one for the main body and one for the keypad), 8 magnetic feet, USB-C to USB-A cable, switch & keycap puller and the user manual.

THE LIGHT & DARK MOUNT

The Light Mount measures 462mm in length, 132mm in width and 44mm in height/thickness and the main body of the Dark Mount measures 360mm in length, 152mm in width and 52mm in height/thickness.

Both keyboards use the floating keys design for easier cleaning and switch removal.

be quiet! has placed their logo on both keyboards but what stands out is the brushed aluminum plates.

The Light Mount has its 3D media wheel, mute key and 5 macro/multimedia keys placed on the far left.

On the other hand, the Dark Mount more than just makes up for that with the 8 customizable display keys located on its numeric keypad (can be mounted on either side) and of course its LCD media dock.

Both keyboards have their activity LEDs placed just next to the arrow keys as seen above.

The USB-C ports are located as expected at the front of the keyboards but in the case of the Dark Mount we also find 2 USB-C ports meant for the LCD media dock.

Each side of the Dark Mount also has magnetic covers placed just over the numeric keypad mounting areas.

Both samples arrived wearing the Orange Silent Linear keys by be quiet!

Turning over the Light and Dark Mount we find 5 rubber feet.

In the case of the Light Mount however we also find a two-step height adjuster.

Instead of a height adjuster the Dark Mount features two areas (plus two more under the numeric keypad) where you can attach the magnetic feet found in the bundle.

The tall feet of the Light Mount keep it 16mm from your desk whereas the short ones keep it just 5mm.

On the other hand, the magnetic feet of the Dark Mount can keep it 6/11mm from your desk (1/2 pieces).

With the magnetic wrist wrest attached the width of the Light Mount increases to 212mm.

Attaching the LCD media dock and the numeric keypad increases the width of the Dark Mount to 174mm and its length to 452mm.

Attaching the magnetic wrist rests increases the width of the Dark Mount to 253mm.

In terms of size both keyboards land very close.

be quiet! also sent over some of their Black Silent Tactile switches so I also took audible measurements from those as well.

Strangely enough the Light Mount seems brighter compared to the Dark Mount (short video is as always available on both YouTube and TikTok - please ignore my cats’ whisker in the 2nd part, somehow it managed to get there between takes).

However, both the LCD media dock and the 8 customizable display keys clearly place the Dark Mount a level over the Light Mount.

IO CENTER

The IO center software by be quiet! is available both as a software for Windows or as a website which you can access from anywhere (for this review I used the former).

Once you install and launch the software it will detect available firmware updates and inform you about it (in the case of the Dark Mount the alert was in the software settings tab, it didn't pop up like with the Light Mount).

Once you move the cursor close to the keyboards you can see what available pages each has in the IO center.

First tab is all about the per-key ARGB lighting  which doesn't just include 6 effects with either single, dual or multi colors but also allows you to make your very own one.

Second tab allows for the remapping of all keys as seen above.

In the case of the Dark Mount this of course also includes the 8 display keys and the keys of the LCD media dock.

Needless to say, you also have the ability to create macros from the second tab.

The Dark Mount has an extra tab for the LCD media dock from where you can load your very own picture and change the colors of the LCD display.

Final tab allows you to check for firmware updates and enable/disable various system keys (game mode).

AUDIBLE FEEDBACK

Many people ask my opinion on what keyboard they should get for their needs. Some want a “silent” model for use in their living room or even in their bedroom while others ask for a model with good audible feedback for use in the office or for gaming. Because of this I decided to test keyboards by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically over each keyboard (5cm distance) and typing NikKTech a total of 6 times with each (after that the max recorded number - max hold - is placed in the graph). I have to admit that this methodology may not be 100% accurate but it does give a good idea on what you can expect from each model since aside the type of switches used keycaps and keyboard material also matter.

CONCLUSION

    The father company of be quiet! (Listan) acquired MOUNTAIN back in 2022 and so it was just a matter of time for them to either continue the MOUNTAIN brand or release peripherals under the be quiet! name and well, at least for now it’s the latter. It's the right move, the be quiet! name is far more recognizable than MOUNTAIN and well, that alone could drive sales. Now as for the Light & Dark Mount keyboards there’s not much I can say that hasn’t been covered in this review already. Build quality is very good, ARGB lighting is quite impressive for both models and as for features both keyboards offer quite a bit with the Dark Mount obviously offering more. I was happy to see that be quiet! made a more robust mounting mechanism for the numeric keypad of the Dark Mount model (the Everest models by MOUNTAIN had some issues in that regard) but if I was to nitpick, I’d probably point out that the LCD of the media dock is way too small (would had used a much larger one but I do realize cost is always an concern). As for the orange and black switches, be quiet! has used with their new keyboards well, you’ll need to spend quite a bit of time getting used to them that’s for sure. Honestly, I didn’t like them at first, the lack of feedback due to them being too soft was an issue for me and took me well over 3 days to get used to them (I’m more of a blue and red switches guy myself). This however also means that these switches are the most silent mechanical ones I’ve used to date (they actually compare to membrane ones) so that could be a strong selling point for some consumers. As for the IO center software I did mention that the OS compatibility printed at the rear of the boxes was important and well, it is. Used 3 different systems while trying to update the firmware of the keyboards and only the one running Windows 11 Pro (the other two run on Windows 10 Pro) was able to complete the update procedure (of course this could be some issue with my systems).

    Both the Light & Dark Mount Silent Gaming Keyboards by be quiet! were officially released today with an MSRP of USD169.90/254.90 inside the USA and 169.90/259.90Euros inside the EU. These prices are actually quite balanced what you’re getting, especially since it’s backed by the be quiet! name. Both the Light & Dark Mount models by be quiet! may not be perfect but they do come close and since they deliver where they should the Golden Award is in order.

 PROS

- Build Quality (Brushed Aluminum Plates)
- Hot Swap Silent Switches (Orange / Black)
- Front ARGB LED Bar (Light Mount)
- 3D Media Wheel & 5 Macro Keys (Light Mount)
- Detachable LCD Media Dock (Dark Mount)
- Detachable Numpad With 8 Display Keys
- Full RGB Per Key Illumination (6 Effects)
- NKey Rollover With 100% Anti Ghosting
- Magnetic Wrist Rests
- IO Center Software (Available Settings)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Limited Switch Feedback (Too Soft / For Some)