INTRODUCTION

   Mechanical gaming keyboards may have been around for the largest part of this decade but 2015 was perhaps the only year inside which we witnessed tremendous growth in this particular market largely thanks to the introduction of several new manufacturers, some just making their first steps in the industry and others already well-known and established but in different segments. Another reason was the fact that because Cherry was unable to actually keep up with demand for their popular mechanical switches in 2013-2014 many manufacturers decided to go ahead and introduce their very own in 2014-2015 so obviously that too helped in bringing more models in the market. G.SKILL is among a handful of manufacturers that just recently expanded in the gaming peripherals market and after testing their very good MX780 Laser Gaming Mouse we decided to take a very thorough look at their RIPJAWS MX780 RGB Keyboard.

   Established in 1989 by PC hardware enthusiasts, G.SKILL specializes in high performance memory, SSD products and gaming peripherals, designed for PC gamers and enthusiasts around the world. Combining technical innovation and rock solid quality through our in-house testing lab and talented R&D team, G.SKILL continues to create record-breaking memory for each generation of hardware and hold the no. 1 brand title in overclocking memory.

   Currently G.SKILL manufactures 4 slightly different versions of the RIPJAWS KM780 mechanical gaming keyboard, the KM780 RGB which we have here today and features full RGB individual key illumination and bundled together has extra FPS keycaps, the KM780R RGB which is basically the same keyboard but without the extra FPS keycaps, the KM780 MX which lacks the RGB illumination feature but still remains the same keyboard which includes the FPS keycaps and finally the KM780R MX which lacks both the RGB illumination feature and the FPS keycaps. All 4 models feature an durable aluminum frame, 6 macro keys (used with each of the 3 available onboard modes), full NKRO (N-Key Rollover) with anti-ghosting, 1000Hz polling rate, USB pass-through, 3.5mm audio jacks, mouse cable holder, detachable wrist-rest and 16.8 million colors individual key illumination. As for the switches used G.SKILL currently sells the RIPJAWS KM780 line with Cherry MX Brown, Red and Blue mechanical ones.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Typically at the front of the box we see a large product picture, the company logo, type of keys used and the main product features.

The technical specifications, system requirements and bundle contents are all placed at the base of the box.

A large product picture placed at the rear of the box is used to showcase the main product features which in turn are printed right beneath in 10 languages.

The keyboard and its bundle are placed inside a thick piece of cardboard which should provide adequate protection during shipping.

Included in the box are the RIPJAWS KM780 RGB keyboard, detachable wrist rest, plastic case with the extra FPS keycaps and a keycap puller inside, quick start guide and a warranty guide.

THE RIPJAWS KM780 RGB

Measuring 518mm in length, 172mm in width and 48mm in height the 1.36Kg heavy RIPJAWS KM780 RGB is certainly large but not the largest keyboard around (notice the brushed aluminum plate that makes the top of the keyboard).

The G.SKILL logo is placed on both the top center and the far left of the keyboard (the handle like area is actually part of the aluminum frame).

On the far left we also see the 6 dedicated macro keys along with the 3 mode keys and the on-the-fly macro recording key.

Right next to the mode keys we find the Windows lock, LED backlight toggle and timer keys.

The media navigation buttons (including a nice volume control wheel) are placed on the upper right corner right above the LED volume display bar.

In front of the media navigation buttons we see the USB 2.0 pass-through port, the two 3.5mm headphone and microphone mini jacks and the game mode switch.

Here we see the RGB backlit Cherry MX brown mechanical switches.

Taking a look at the base of the keyboard we see 4 rubber feet, two height adjusters and the aluminum frame.

G.SKILL has also placed a cable holder which can be used to keep the cable of your mouse in check.

The height adjusters can lift the keyboard roughly 1.3cm from the desk.

This is what the plastic case includes, 10 FPS red keycaps and a keycap puller.

You can attach the plastic case onto the aluminum frame as seen above.

The FPS keycaps are designed to stand out from the rest of the keyboard (they are also thicker) but that's not all since the WAD keycaps are also taller.

With the FPS keycaps mounted the KM780 RGB looks quite nice (would be even nicer if G.SKILL had bundled FPS keycaps for the arrow keys). With the wrist rest attached the keyboard width increases to 228mm and its weight increases to 1.54Kg.

The wrist rest is rubber coated at the top so you don't have to worry about your hands slipping.

G.SKILL has also used a 2 meter long double-braided cable which has two gold plated USB plugs at the end (one is for the pass-through port) and two gold plated 3.5mm plugs.

Once you plug the keyboard into your system it will light up red (not RGB). Above you can see the highest and lowest illumination levels.

CONTROL SOFTWARE

You can grab the latest software and firmware version from the official G.SKILL support page as seen above.

Once you download and install the software it will update the firmware of the keyboard (if it has an older firmware installed).

The control software is very easy to use so from here you can program the keys and assign them to one of the 3 available profiles, set the desired polling rate (125/250/500/1000Hz), choose between 6-Key and N-Key rollover, enable/disable the "alert" mode, adjust the repeat rate acceleration and delay, enable/disable sleep mode and finally you can setup the lighting color, brightness level and effects (you can choose between all or individual keys).

From the lighting profiles tab you can adjust the 4 available lighting effects to your liking while from the macros tab you can record your very own complicated macros.

Here you can see several of the available color choices and effects.

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 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

   I don’t like stating the obvious but G.SKILL first with their MX780 gaming mouse and now with their KM780 gaming keyboard has entered the gaming peripherals market without really holding back. In terms of build quality the KM780 RGB is among the finest mechanical keyboards to ever make it to our lab and the same applies for the MX780 gaming mouse. Both devices also score very high in terms of available features and more specifically the KM780 RGB keyboard offers extra FPS keycaps, durable aluminum frame, 6 macro keys (18 in total when used with the 3 available profiles), full NKRO (and 6-Key rollover) with anti-ghosting, 1000Hz polling rate, USB pass-through, 3.5mm audio jacks, mouse cable holder, detachable wrist-rest, gold plated plugs and a 3-level 16.8 million colors individual key illumination which can be used with 4 available effects. This isn’t the first time we’ve used a keyboard featuring Cherry MX Brown mechanical switches so once again you’re getting good tactile and audible feedback (actually a bit higher on the audible part compared to other models). All the above sound great but at what cost?

   Unfortunately to get a RGB mechanical gaming keyboard today you need to spend quite a bit and that goes double when we’re talking about one of the best ones in the market currently like the KM780 RGB by G.SKILL so its price tag of USD169.95 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 188.97Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) is quite justified. Of course if RGB key illumination is not your thing you can always go for the non-RGB versions without the extra keycaps to save a bit on cash (something which G.SKILL has obviously planned for). Long story short you just can’t go wrong with the KM780 RGB keyboard and since we all liked using it a lot we’re giving it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality (Aluminum Frame & Brushed Aluminum
- Design
- Full RGB Key Illumination (16.8m Colors)
- 3 Modes / 3 Brightness Levels
- Individual Key Illumination
- Cherry MX Mechanical Switches (50M Actuations)
- 6 N-Key/Full N-Key Rollover
- USB Pass-Through & 3.5mm Ports
- 4 Available Versions
- Detachable Wrist Rest
- Double Braided Cable / Gold Plated USB & 3.5mm Plugs
- Extra FPS Keycaps
- Cable Holder

CONS

- Price (For Some)