INTRODUCTION

   Most people i know are not very much into gaming and computers in general (surprise) so they always use cost effective, mainstream level keyboards which usually last just a couple of years at best. Gamers however and enthusiast alike have a plethora of gaming keyboards to choose from to cover their needs from impressive ones filled with bells and whistles such as the ones manufactured by Logitech and Roccat and from the more durable ones such as the Mechanical Keyboards manufactured by SteelSeries, Razer, Qpad and TteSports. Today we will be taking a thorough look at the latest Mechanical Keyboard offering by TteSports that listens to the name MEKA G-UNIT.

   “Challenge is the game” highlights the philosophy to bring out gamers’ addiction in gaming and the ambition of reaching to the extreme. Tt eSPORTS, a gaming obsessed division from Thermaltake, is uniting gamers from all over the world in a unique & fascinating eSPORTS culture, inherited the spirits of Thermaltake, is an energetic, powerful, bold and intelligent challenger who never says “no” to the extreme competition. We do not only provide gamers the ultimate gaming gears but also fulfills the passion to achieve the ultimate success. Thermaltake has been a well-known brand in the gaming & DIY market for PC Chassis, Coolers and Power Supplies PSU for many years. The brand personality of unique, aggressive, vivid and stylish makes Thermaltake an expert in creating exciting things and fascinating environment for gamers and enthusiasts. Tt eSPORTS inherited the brand personality with unique and creative design by observing users’ behaviors and requirements. The fan cooling design on Tt eSPORTS Challenger keyboard demonstrate the brand spirit. It is the worldwide first keyboard with fan cooling function that could dry your hand sweats and blow tension away during cut-throat competition.

   Following the TteSports MEKA line of mechanical keyboards trend the latest G-UNIT is not going to impress you visually like let’s say the G19 by Logitech since if put right next to a normal keyboard the differences at first glance are not that great, especially if you are not familiar with mechanical keyboards. However it would really only take someone a few seconds to lift both keyboards and spot the massive difference in weight and thus difference in construction quality. Of course the G-UNIT offers much more than just superior quality and once again we are here to see exactly what those things are.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The MEKA G-UNIT arrived inside a black box with a large image of the unit on the front enveloped in flame and placed right next to its main features and the TteSports logo.

At the bottom of the box we see the usual "Armed for battle" line by our friends at TteSports.

The list of features along with a picture of the unit is present at the rear written in 15 different languages.

Once you open the box you will see a piece of cardboard with a picture of the MEKA G1-UNIT used to showcase its main features.

Inside the box you will find the MEKA G-UNIT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, the handrest, USB cable, carrying pouch made from soft cloth, two dragon stickers, the quick installation guide, software CD and a small booklet with the warranty policy.

THE MEKA G-UNIT MECHANICAL GAMING KEYBOARD

Exactly like the MEKA G1 by TteSports the G-UNIT is a very high quality keyboard (Black MX Cherry switches have a lifespan of well over 50.000.000 keystrokes) without the bells and whistles found in other gaming keyboards such as the G19 by Logitech. Without the handrest the unit measures 430mm in length, 148mm in width and 33mm in height (highest point).

The TteSports logo is located at the top center of the keyboard.

The G-UNIT features 3 different profiles for use with its macro keys, each with it's very own assign button along with an normal/game switch key which is used to disable the windows key.

The keyboard also features 12 macro keys which combined with the 8 extra programmable keys (you can assign any button on the keyboard) add up to a total of 20 macro keys per profile.

Same as the MEKA G1 the MEKA G-UNIT comes with a total of 7 media keys, 3 of which are mechanical.

Two USB 2.0 ports, the USB cable port and the usual headphones/microphone mini jacks are placed at the front of the G-UNIT.

Turning the unit over we see 2 height adjusters, a cable management slot and 4 large rubber feet.

The height adjusters could be slightly larger but no need to be very picky.

I was happy to see that unlike the G-1 the G-UNIT comes with a full size handrest.

The TteSports dragon logo is imprinted on the handrest but unfortunately it's also not illuminated.

Needless to say the G-UNIT comes with a gold plated USB connector.

USING THE MEKA G-UNIT

Instead of using the included software CD i strongly recommend checking for the latest driver update on the official TteSports support page.

The software is not something we haven't seen before so through here you can switch between profiles, create macro commands, adjust the lighting effect (some buttons have it), use the instant shift keys and reset the unit back to its factory settings.

CONCLUSION

   Having already tested every single mechanical keyboard in the TteSports line i can't say that i was particularly impressed with the MEKA G-UNIT in terms of design and features since I’ve seen pretty much everything before. However just like every mechanical keyboard out there the primary goal of the MEKA G-UNIT is not to light up your desk with lights and extra features which you may end up never using but to be a very durable keyboard which will endure many years of use and still feel like new even after that. Of course i can't claim i have used the MEKA G-UNIT for years and years in order to verify that (we have to rely on the official specs) but for the period of time i did use it (roughly 20 days) it was very sturdy and really felt great while typing (although if you haven't used a mechanical keyboard in the past it may feel strange at first). The sound coming from the cherry mx mechanical switches was quite low compared to other similar units, still to this day i have yet to spot a significant difference compared to the previous MEKA keyboards by TteSports, at least not something i can actually measure.

   Mechanical Keyboards don't come cheap and the G-UNIT by TteSports is really no exception to that rule so purchasing this particular model will set you back USD139.99 inside the USA (Newegg) and 105.4Euros inside the EU (Amazon). Certainly there are many solutions for someone to choose from at around the same price range so i reckon it will not be a very easy decision to make, still if you are looking to buy a high quality mechanical keyboard with a nice array of features then the G-UNIT by TteSports is amongst your best options as we speak and that's why it gets our golden award.

 PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Cherry Black Mechanical Switches
- Gold Plated Connectors
- Audio And USB Ports
- Advanced Anti-Ghosting
- Detachable USB Cable
- Full Size Armrest

CONS

- Price (For Some)