INTRODUCTION

   Gaming peripherals usually only come second to graphics cards for gamers and professionals so it's no wonder really that we keep seeing new models almost every single week. Now as you all know most gaming peripherals released since mid-2017 feature RGB LED lighting because let's face it this is the most popular "feature" sought out by gamers, enthusiasts and even some professionals lately. Still as expected really not everyone in the world is interested in RGB lighting (myself included since red has always been my favorite color) and surprisingly enough there are some manufacturers out there who still like to cater to that specific segment of the market. HyperX by Kingston Technology is one such manufacturer and today we'll be testing their latest ALLOY Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.

   HyperX is the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the world’s largest independent memory manufacturer, with the goal of providing gamers, PC builders, and power users with high-performance components. For 15 years, the HyperX mission has been to develop gaming products for gamers – high-speed memory, solid state drives, headsets, keyboards, mice, USB flash drives, and mouse pads – to the gaming community and beyond. The award-winning HyperX brand has carved its name atop the leaderboard by consistently delivering products that deliver superior comfort, aesthetics, performance, and reliability. HyperX gear is the choice of pro gamers, tech enthusiasts, and overclockers worldwide because it meets the most stringent product specifications and is built with best-in-class components. HyperX has shipped over 3 million headsets worldwide.

   The brand new ALLOY Elite is the 2nd Mechanical Gaming Keyboard released by HyperX right after the ALLOY FPS model which scored very high in our review. Both keyboards also share some features including Cherry MX switches certified for up to 50 million keystrokes (the ALLOY Elite is currently available with Blue, Brown and Red), single backlight color (red) with 6 modes and 4 brightness levels (the FPS had 5), USB pass-through port, solid steel frame for improved durability and stability, 100% anti-ghosting with full N-Key rollover, 1000Hz polling rate and extra textured keycaps designed primarily for gamers (silver for the Elite an red for the FPS). There are some differences however so the brand new ALLOY Elite features dedicated media buttons (including a volume control wheel), unique light bar, quick access buttons (for the lighting effects, brightness levels and game mode) and a detachable wrist rest with soft touch rubber coating. I was actually surprised a bit to see that HyperX ditched the detachable braided USB cable used in the FPS model since it was quite convenient but I’m certain they had their reasons (long term port/plug durability issues perhaps?).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture is placed at the front of the along with the type of switches used and the language layout.

The ALLOY Elite is the official keyboard of a grand total of 5 professional gaming organizations something which can be seen from the top of the box.

At the base we find a list with the bundle contents and a sticker with the product serial number.

The 4 main product features of the ALLOY Elite are showcased and listed at the rear of the box.

Nothing new in terms of packaging since the keyboard is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed inside a formed piece of cardboard.

Along with the ALLOY Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard HyperX has also bundled 8 extra keycaps (4 of which are textured), keycap puller, HyperX product catalog and a Quick Start Guide.

THE ALLOY ELITE

Measuring no less than 444mm in length, 168.2mm in width and 36.3mm in height the ALLOY Elite is a mid-large sized keyboard.

Popularity of floating caps design has increased lately and that's a good thing since you can clean your keyboard just by using a compressed air duster.

The brightness level, mode and gaming mode buttons are placed on the left upper corner of the keyboard.

HyperX has placed the dedicated media buttons and the volume wheel on the opposite side right over their logo.

The pass through USB 2.0 port is placed on the right front of the keyboard as seen above.

Here we see the Cherry MX Brown switches.

Four rubber feet and two height adjusters are placed on the base of the keyboard.

These height adjusters are quite short so they can only push the higher end of the keyboard just 9mm from your desk.

At the end of the 1.8 meter long braided cable we find two USB regular (not gold plated) USB ports (one for data and one for the pass-through USB 2.0 port).

The detachable wrist rest features 2 regular clips which we all think are more reliable than magnets.

With the wrist rest the width of the ALLOY Elite jumps to 226.8mm.

Here we see the bundled silver plastic caps half of which (WASD) are also textured.

The NGenuity software by HyperX currently only supports the RGB version of the ALLOY Elite so via the dedicated lighting keys we're showcasing the lowest and highest brightness settings (top two pictures) and some of the available modes.

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

   The first attempt by HyperX (ALLOY Fps) was a very good keyboard aimed towards gamers who even join LAN events thus it wasn’t only a mid-sized keyboard but it also featured a detachable braided USB cable and it didn’t come with a wrist rest. The ALLOY Elite on the other hand is clearly targeted towards gamers who don’t care about an easy to carry keyboard since it doesn’t feature a detachable USB cable and it comes with a rather large wrist rest. Quality is also very similar between both keyboards (I do think that the Elite is slightly sturdier but that could be due to its size) but thanks to the dedicated brightness and media keys the Elite is definitely an improvement over the Fps. Unfortunately HyperX has made their newest NGenuity software available only for the RGB version of the ALLO Elite (should have a review up soon) but who knows perhaps they will add compatibility for the single LED color model soon.

   Right now the ALLOY Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by HyperX retails for USD109.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 113.95Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which puts it just slightly over the ALLOY Fps. Personally if I had to choose between the Fps and the Elite I’d choose the second not only because I obviously don’t care about moving my keyboard but also because it feels sturdier and because the dedicated keys are very convenient (the LED light bar also looks nice). Overall HyperX has released yet another mechanical gaming keyboard worthy of their name and of our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality (Metal Alloy Top)
- Cherry MX Switches (50 Million Actuations)
- 100% Anti Ghosting NKey Rollover
- Dedicated Media And Lighting Buttons
- 6 Illumination Modes & 4 Brightness Levels
- LED Light Bar
- Extra Key Caps
- USB 2.0 Pass Through Port
- Detachable Wrist Rest

CONS

- No Macro Keys
- Single Color LEDs