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Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review

07/24/2019 By Daniel Nguyen

Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review

With the inclusion of the Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard in the Level 20 series, it sure seems to be promising being grouped in the Thermaltake “Premium” Series and bearing the name of its flagship case, the Level 20. With its impressive RGB side glow and numerous RGB installations on its top plate, it’s sure to turn some heads and make a statement on any PC. But for $150 (at the type of writing), is it worth that price point? Without further delay, let’s take a closer look in this Thermaltake Level 20 RGB gaming keyboard review.

Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review

First Impressions

  • The packaging displays most of the features of the keyboard.
  • Its thick braided cable will last a long time but will make the regular movement of the keyboard from place to place difficult.
  • Its hefty weight also forms the impression that its build quality is superior to many others on the market right now, however, makes the regular movement of the keyboard difficult.
  • The RGB implementation bright and will illuminate any setup nicely.
  • The aggressive design is too tacky for me, however, it may interest some.
Read:   Patriot Viper V770 Gaming Keyboard Review

The Switches and Typing Experience

While the Cherry MX Silver isn’t my favorite switch in world, its light activation force is sure to be a favorite for light typists. Nevertheless, the decreased travel distance makes me constantly bottom out (hitting the bottom of the keystroke) instead of being able to release the key after actuation (when the keystroke registers). This bottoming out effect led to soreness after extended periods of gaming, especially in my middle finger due to it often hitting the W key too hard. I did eventually adjust to the speed switches and was able to type without too much soreness, but I’d much prefer a switch with a fuller travel distance. Luckily, the Level 20 RGB is also offered in the Cherry MX Blue, though it will be too loud for some users.

Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review
Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review

Unfortunately, the keycaps weren’t of the best quality. I would have liked to see double-shot (two separate pieces of plastic) keycaps instead of the pad printed keycaps (ink rolled on top of the plastic) as then the legends on the keycaps will never wear away. Nonetheless, the legends are beautiful and feature a seamless typeface which is very clean looking.

These keycaps don’t produce too loud of a noise. I’m not worried that this Level 20 RGB Titanium keyboard will be louder than the run-of-the-mill mechanical keyboard. If you feel the sound is an issue, you can purchase o-rings at any major online retailer to dampen the noise.

The mappable macro keys serve useful for many users. The fact that you can map a key to any combination of keystrokes is helpful to gamers and even professionals alike who have too many shortcuts.

Read:   Gaming: Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 Headphones Review

Aesthetic

While I don’t like the look of the RGB strip in the middle of the board, it is truly a statement piece and will illuminate any desk setup nicely. And while the large bezels look nice, I feel it’s more form over function. The extra desk space the bezels take up could be used for the mice, and concerning gamers, desk space is truly precious. Overall, I would say that this is an attractive aesthetic for those who like the Level 20 RGB keyboard; however, it isn’t for everyone.

Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review

Build Quality

The Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Edition sports a full-metal body, giving it unyielding weight, thus staying on one’s desk for a while. But this weight makes it less portable, which may be a downside for those LAN party players but will work well for those who keep it on their desktop setup. The flip-down feet are considerably stable and have a robust tactile response when they flip down.

Final Thoughts

While this gaming keyboard is one of the best boards you can get, for $150 I feel like you could get another of similar quality for less and have more money to put elsewhere in your setup. It does have all the bells and whistles a gamer could need though, such as macro buttons, voice control, a mic, and USB passthrough. The software is nothing spectacular, though it easily gets the job done via customization and integrating easy setup of macro keys.

There is one thing I do wish Thermaltake offered, and this would be a TKL version. For most gamers, desk space for their mouse is precious, and on a gaming-oriented keyboard, I would have liked to see a more compact version or even this same layout but without its large bezels.

While the Thermaltake Level 20 offers tons of features and a very high-tech look, I can’t recommend the Level 20 for gamers due to its humongous footprint. The Level 20 doesn’t even fare well for general productivity, as the aggressive design and RGB implementation wouldn’t look good in any professional setting. The Thermaltake Level 20 earns a modest 3 out of 5 stars.

Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review
Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review

Read:   Cooler Master MH751 Gaming Headset Review

The Thermaltake Level 20 RGB gaming keyboard is available for purchase on Amazon for $149.99 (see link below.)

What do you think of this Thermaltake Level 20 RGB gaming keyboard review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

• Follow Thermaltake on Twitter
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Don’t hesitate to head over to the Thermaltake homepage to see their current line-up of products. To learn more about service, support, and warranties, click on their Support tab. The keyboard comes with a 2-year warranty.

FTC Disclosure: Thermaltake provided Beantown LLC with one (1) Level 20 RGB Titanium gaming keyboard sample for review purposes. This writer’s opinion is 100% his own, and not a paid product ambassador.

Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Titanium Gaming Keyboard Review

All photographs are the copyrighted property of Thermaltake or Beantown LLC © 2019.

Read:   Gaming: HyperX Alloy Elite Keyboard Review

Filed Under: Gaming Hardware Tagged With: gaming keyboard, Level 20 RGB, Thermaltake, tT eSports 07/24/2019

Gaming: Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 Headphones Review

12/26/2017 By Zach Can

Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones review

Thermaltake through its Tt eSPORTS brand has rolled out some unique gaming products in 2017. One such example was that they’re one of the first companies to release a gaming mouse with a fingerprint scanner. Thermaltake’s practice is “Quality, Performance, and Reliability.” One of this year’s releases was the Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 gaming headset. (It genuinely upsets me that “Riing” is spelled this way.) To be confident enough to have a spelling deviation like this, the product better be good. Not too long ago we got our hands on the Cronos Riing RGB. Is this headset a worthy addition to your gaming rig? Let’s take a closer look in this Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones review.

[envira-gallery id=”9950″]

Key Features of the Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1

  • Oversized and tilted 50 mm neodymium drivers
  • Eight lighting effects, 16.8 million colors
  • 7.1 virtual surround sound
  • Customizable software
  • In-line control
  • Fold-flat design

Read:   Gaming: Tt esports MEKA PRO Keyboard Review

Per the press release, “It comes packed with features and latest tech offering up an oversized 50 mm state-of-the-art tilting neodymium driver, true RGB engineered 16.8 million color illumination amongst 8 different lighting effects, and the latest 7.1 premium virtual surround sound technology to offer the most immersive 3D sound experience to ensure you hear all sounds with pinpoint accuracy for that all-important competitive edge.”

Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 Headphones Review

Design

The gaming headset comes in an all sleek black color. When you plug it in, the control dongle, the RGB aspect on each ear cup, and heck, even a line on the microphone lights up. This light on the microphone lights up red when it’s both un-muted and muted, which is a little confusing. I had expected the microphone light to turn white indicating it’s not muted, but no luck. The mic can be extended out of its little cubby hole, and then adjusted.

Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones review

The ear cups pivot to a flat position allowing for effortless storage. They’re made from soft memory foam and fit snug over your ear. How the headset fits over your head is a bit of a problem. The Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headset uses an elastic/spring type of fitting, where the “headband” slowly adjusts to your head. While it’s awkward the first time you put it on, it gradually conforms to your head. It’s not a bad fit, just inconvenient at first.

The control dongle has a Tt eSPORTS logo, volume control, 7.1 surround, microphone mute, and specific volume modes, reminiscent of the Sennheiser Gaming audio amplifier. The headphones come with software that is easily installed.

[envira-gallery id=”9955″]

Read:   Gaming: Patriot Viper V361 & V370 Headsets Review

Specifications

• Drivers: 50 mm Neodymium magnet
• Cable Length: 2 Meters
• Max Input: 100 mW
• Headphone Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
• Impedance: 32 Ω
• Sound Pressure Level: 99 ± 3 db

• Pick-up Pattern: Omindirectional
• Microphone Frequency Response: 100 Hz – 10 kHz
• Microphone Impedance: < 2.2 kΩ
• Microphone Sensitivity: -42 db ± 3 db
• Weight: 15.2 oz
• Dimensions: 8 x 3.8 x 9 inches


Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones review

Read:   Sennheiser GSP 301 Gaming Headset Review

Performance

The first thing I noticed is the microphone volume is unusually low, even when maxed out using the software. And there’s an annoying buzz of static. It’s not noticeable when actual audio is going through them, but it’s audible without. Nonetheless, the audio comes out clean. The headset’s 7.1 virtual surround sound has more reverb than I would like, and those special audio effects don’t offer enough value. In fact, most of them lower the sound quality, while one sounds exactly like the regular audio. You can set the speed and mic volume, and master volume.

The lightning effects look cool, but you can’t even see the colors when you’re wearing them. It makes for great video when everyone around you can observe the colors lit up. Eight effects come with the headset’s software: Static, Pulse, Spectrum Running, Music Rhythm, Single Blink, Double Blink, Rapid Blink, and Rapid Pulse.

[envira-gallery id=”9937″]

During gameplay of Rainbox Six Siege, the headphones performed quite well. I managed to hear roamers in the game trying to outflank us. However, according to my teammates, the microphone was overly quiet. It might have to do with the fact that it’s a bit behind your head. Regardless, I had to turn up the volume output for my microphone.

Overall, this is where the headphones shined most, helping track people moving around me better than my usual earbuds. After 1-2 hours of gaming, it started hurting my ears from too much pressure. This soreness is not something we look forward to with headphones. If your ears are sore after gaming, it’s a really bad sign of how much pressure is being placed on them. Another item to note is the earcups get warm-to-hot as their ventilation isn’t up to par.

Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones review

Read:   Gaming: Tt eSPORTS Black FP Mouse Review

Final Thoughts

In summary, the Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones come with 50 mm neodymium drivers, eight lighting effects, 16.8 million colors, 7.1 virtual surround sound, software, in-line control, and a fold-flat design.

The gaming headphones are good, but nothing sets them apart from the competition. They’re very similar to the Gamdias HEBE M1 RGB headphones in the way of software and RGB color.

For a list price of $89, this headset leans toward the higher-end of the gaming accessories spectrum. If this one doesn’t fit your needs, there are 17 Tt eSPORTS gaming headset models and color patterns currently available. We’re sure there’s at least one worth your time and consideration.

All-in-all, this gaming headset (and software) earned a 3.5 out of 5-star rating. There are plenty of gaming headsets available with a variety of features, so compare away until you find the right one for you.

Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones review

The Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 gaming headset is available for purchase on Amazon for $77 (see link below) and the Tt eSPORTS website.

What do you think of this Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

• Follow Tt esports on Twitter
• Follow Tt esports on Facebook
• Follow Tt esports on Instagram

• Follow Beantown on Twitter
• Follow Beantown on Facebook
• Follow Beantown on Instagram

Don’t hesitate to head over to the Tt eSPORTS homepage to see their current line-up of products. Soon we’ll all see what’s coming out in 2018. The Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 gaming headset comes with a 2-year warranty. Should you need to reach Customer Support, click on this link.

Gamer Jack Yang wrote a portion of this review. All photographs are the copyrighted property of Thermaltake or Beantown LLC © 2017.

FTC Disclosure: Tt eSPORTS provided Beantown LLC with one (1) Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 gaming headset sample for review purposes. These writers opinions are 100% their own, and neither are paid product ambassadors.

Tt eSPORTS Cronos Riing RGB 7.1 headphones review

Read:   HyperX Cloud Revolver S Headset Preview

Filed Under: Gaming Hardware, Headphones Tagged With: 7.1 virtual surround sound, Cronos Riing, gaming headset, Thermaltake, tT eSports 12/26/2017

Gaming: Tt eSPORTS Black FP Mouse Review

08/19/2017 By Hakan Can

Tt esports Black FP Mouse review

Here at Beantown, we have a little nostalgia for the Thermaltake brand. Back in March of 2016, our very first gaming accessories review was none other than the Tt eSPORTS Commander Gaming Gear Combo. Seven months later, they introduced their first gaming mouse with a built-in fingerprint sensor. Now it’s 2017 and we’ve spent the better part of a month with this gaming mouse customizing and learning every detail of it. Is it a worthy addition to your Thermaltake gaming rig? Let’s take a closer look in this Tt eSPORTS Black FP mouse review.

Tt esports Black FP Mouse review

Key Features of the Tt eSPORTS Black FP Gaming Mouse

  • Ergonomic FPS/MOBA design with smooth finish and grip
  • Four on-the-fly resolution settings up to 5700 DPI
  • Avago 9500 laser sensor and Omron switches
  •  7 Programmable buttons w/35 programmable macro keys
  • 5 Custom tailored profiles
  • Adjustable 5-weight system
  • Ironveil Tech biometric fingerprint sensor

Read:   Gaming: HyperX Pulsefire FPS Mouse Review

Per the press release, “The BLACK FP is a FIDO UAF certified fingerprint sensor security mouse that provides strong, safe and secure password protection for your PC. Using the state-of-the-art 256-bit advanced encryption standard (AES), it provides users with a fast and secure passwordless experience to login into their system and web pages with the utmost of ease.”

Tt esports Black FP Mouse Review

Black FP Design and Features

There’s much to like when it comes to the Tt eSPORTS FP Black gaming mouse. If you’re familiar with their product line, then you’ll have noticed that this mouse is the current iteration of the Black V2 gaming mouse with a few notable changes. First, the patterned grip on the left side has been removed. Not a biggie, but I would have probably kept it. What’s new is the 256-bit encryption and fingerprint sensor.

The gaming mouse is aesthetically pleasing with its black matte finish, red buttons, and red lighting. The surface is smooth yet has a bit of grip. It’s designed for the right-handed user, which is a drawback for you lefty gamers. Like the Black V2, the FP Black has seven buttons from left and right click, forward and back, DPI and Profile loops, and wheel click. All buttons are preset and make audible sounds.

All buttons fit my thumb and fingers well. Initially, I wasn’t sure how the ring finger would feel in contact with the right side edge, yet surprisingly, there was little-to-no discomfort. What I haven’t figured yet is whether a two- or three-finger top grip is best. I suppose whatever you’re comfortable with is best.

[envira-gallery id=”9014″]

The single greatest feature of the Tt eSPORTS Black FP mouse is its fingerprint scanner. Setup was quick and easy. Right after registering my fingerprints, I could easily log into Windows 10. More on this feature in the Performance and Command Center sections.

The DPI resolution and Profile buttons functioned flawlessly. The former cycles through the four DPI settings. Upon hitting either button, a visual indicator appears on your screen. This way you’ll know with certainty what value you’re at. Where your palm meets the mouse, there’s the red Tt esports logo. The scroll wheel is a bit thin for my taste, and it’s in need of more rubber. Both the logo and scroll wheel can have their lighting turned off.

Within the mouse, there are an Avago 9500 laser sensor and Omron primary switches. On the underside, there are four Teflon skates (foot pads) which allow the mouse to glide across any flat surface. The mouse includes an adjustable 5-weight system each weighing 4.5 grams.

Package contents include the mouse with its nicely braided 6′ cord and a multi-language quick installation guide.

Read:   Gaming: Patriot Viper V570 Mouse Review

Mouse and Sensor Specifications

Tt esports Black FP Mouse review

Read:   Gaming: HyperX Alloy FPS Keyboard Review

Performance

Per Zachary: This smaller sized mouse allowed for improved control as more of your hand covers it. Until now, I’ve been going back and forth with the Gamdias Zeus eSport Laser and Zeus P1 RGB gaming mice, but something about the Black FP feels right. The lighting isn’t as awe-inspiring as the Zeus P1 RGB, and neither Gamdias mouse has a fingerprint scanner to log into websites and Windows 10 with. Going forward, this will be my primary mouse until something comes by that impresses me more. With the fingerprint scanner, the Black FP stands out from the crowd.

There is one BIG issue with the mouse, and it’s worth mentioning. More than 3/4 of the time upon startup, the following words appear on my Samsung monitor: “One of the USB devices attached to your computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it.” This confusion is not okay, nor is it an isolated incident as I know of this happening to another Black FP owner. I’ve never had the USB connection on a mouse fail to be recognized by a computer before. In fact, I’ve never had it happen with a keyboard or headphone either. Unplugging and plugging it back in resolves the issue, but it shouldn’t be occurring in the first place. Without this connection, you don’t have an operational accessory. Enough said.

Read:   Gamdias ZEUS eSport Laser Gaming Mouse Review

Tt esports Command Center User Interface

Tt esports Black FP Mouse review

If you’re new to Tt eSPORTS , they have a user interface (UI) product that works in tandem with the mouse. It’s called Tt Command Center. Unlike many UI products, this one works quite well, albeit not without incident. Once downloaded and opened, you’ll see the image above.

As you can observe, TtCC is straightforward and easy to maneuver around. It offers much to the gamer like Profiles 1-5 settings, Normal and Battle mode controls, Language, Macro settings, Performance, and Light Options.

Tt esports Black FP Mouse review

Under the Performance button, you have the option to create up to four levels of (DPI) resolution. There’s also the option to have independent or shared X-Y axis values. Resolution is adjustable in increments of 100 starting from 100 all the way up to 5700 on both the X and Y axis. When you press the DPI button on the mouse, wording appears in the lower center of your monitor informing you of the setting value.

Lift-off and polling rate controls are adjustable as well. You can change these settings, store four different DPI’s to switch to on-the-fly and store all of these settings to five different profiles.

Under Light Option, you have the ability to toggle on and off the scroll wheel and logo lights.

[envira-gallery id=”9004″]

Another major part of TtCC is the Macro Setting. In the image below, you can see how macros are created, deleted, copied, imported, and exported.

Tt esports Black FP Mouse review

As mentioned earlier in this review, the single greatest feature of the Tt eSPORTS Black FP gaming mouse is its fingerprint scanner. I was skeptical of this feature, but it worked like a charm. Right after registering my fingerprints, I could easily log into Windows 10. Further details and instructions can be found in a 28-page PDF document titled BLACK FP Gaming Mouse with Fingerprint Security on the Tt eSPORTS website. This will answer any-and-all of your questions.

[envira-gallery id=”8991″]

Tt eSports Plus+ is an additional software that monitors the stats of the mouse and gives access to a whole community of Thermaltake users.

Read:   Gaming: Tt esports MEKA PRO Keyboard Review

Final Thoughts

For $60, this Tt eSPORTS Black FP gaming mouse delivers many high-end features at a fair price: up to 5.7K DPI resolution, customizable profiles, adjustable weight system, and 35 programmable macro keys. There is the one issue we encountered, so it would be remiss if we didn’t mention it again. Since many months have passed since this product’s release, we hope the folks at Tt esports have addressed and corrected the issue.

This mouse leans toward the higher-end of the gaming accessories spectrum. If you need a gaming mouse that gets the job done at a reasonable price, then place this one on your short list. There are over a dozen Tt esports gaming mice currently available. I’m sure one or more are worth your time and consideration.

All-in-all, this gaming mouse (and software) earned a 3.75 out of 5-star rating. There are plenty of gaming mice available with a variety of features, so compare away until you find the right mouse for you.

[envira-gallery id=”9013″]

The Tt eSPORTS Black FP gaming mouse is available for purchase on Amazon linked here and the Tt eSPORTS website.

What do you think of this Tt eSPORTS Black FP mouse review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

• Follow Tt esports on Twitter
• Follow Tt esports on Facebook
• Follow Tt esports on Instagram

• Follow Beantown on Twitter
• Follow Beantown on Facebook
• Follow Beantown on Instagram

Don’t hesitate to head over to the Tt eSPORTS homepage to see their current line-up of products. The Tt eSPORTS Black FP gaming mouse comes with a 2-year warranty. Should you need to reach Customer Support, click on this link.

My nephew Zachary co-wrote this review. All photographs are the copyrighted property of Thermaltake or Beantown LLC © 2017.

FTC Disclosure: Tt eSPORTS provided Beantown LLC with one (1) Black FP gaming mouse sample for review purposes. These writers opinions are 100% their own, and neither are paid product ambassadors.

Read:   HyperX Cloud Revolver S Headset Preview

 

Filed Under: Gaming Hardware Tagged With: Black FP, gaming mouse, Thermaltake, tT eSports 12/21/2017

Gaming: Tt esports MEKA PRO Keyboard Review

08/12/2017 By Hakan Can

Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review

If you’re a fan of gaming, then there’s an excellent chance you’re familiar with Thermaltake and its accessories brand Tt esports. We’ve used hardware from Thermaltake for nearly a decade, but have shied away from Tt esports until recently. A few months ago, Tt esports introduced a new mechanical gaming keyboard with Cherry MX switches. We’ve spent the better part of the past month with the MEKA PRO mechanical gaming keyboard customizing and learning every detail of it. Is this keyboard a worthy addition to your gaming rig? Without further delay, let’s take a closer look in this Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review.

Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review

Key Features of the MEKA PRO Keyboard

  • Red LED illuminated backlighting
  • Four pre-configured lighting zones
  • Cherry MX Blue (Brown and Red) switches
  • Anti-ghosting support
  • On-the-fly record macro key settings
  • Six key / N-key rollover

Read:   Gaming: HyperX Alloy FPS Keyboard Review

Per the press release, “The MEKA PRO Cherry MX Mechanical Gaming Keyboard comes in a simplistic durable design packed full of features and functions for the most avid gaming enthusiasts. This includes the use of the latest and highly responsive Cherry MX Blue Switches with a 50 million click lifespan, individual per key red backlight illumination with 7 stunning lighting effects, 4 pre-configured game mode lighting zones, 100% anti-ghosting support, and on-the-fly macro recording for ultimate customization of your gameplay settings.”

Tt esports MEKA PRO Keyboard Review

Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review

First Impressions

  • Clean, well-packaged box, big keyboard.
  • Keyboard has a modern look and nice feel. It’s not as big as initially thought, surprisingly slim for the box size. It functioned well with a laptop pictured (see the bottom of this post.)
  • While the keyboard cord is a good length of 1.8 meters, we would have preferred it a bit longer making it easier to reach more desktops. Also, we would have preferred a braided cable
  • The deep red lighting is a nice touch. It illuminates nicely, especially in a dark setting.
  • Initial tapping of the keys are smooth and quick, but the Cherry MX Blue switches are loud.  

Specifications

Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review

Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review

Read:   Gamdias HERMES RGB Keyboard Review

MEKA PRO Design and Features

If you’re familiar with Tt esports keyboards, then you’ll notice how closely the MEKA PRO resembles the Poseidon Z Illuminated and RGB models. The key difference is internal–the switch. This new design incorporates Cherry MX Blue, Brown, or Red switches.

As you can see from the bulleted Key Features list, the MEKA PRO offers plenty in the way of gaming features. These are all pretty much standard among ~$100 gaming keyboards. One feature not included in many gaming keyboards are pre-configured lighting zones. The MEKA PRO has four of them: FPS, MMO, MOBA, and RTS. The matte black finish across the board looks great.

[envira-gallery id=”8910″]

On the underside, there are five rubber foot pads and two retractable legs. Whether you use the legs or not, the keyboard will grip a flat surface well.

Package contents include the keyboard, eight red key caps, one key cap puller, quick installation guide and warranty policy.

Performance Testing – Everyday Use

As an everyday, standard keyboard, the keys are a bit annoying to type with. They sound too much like a typewriter. It’s almost obnoxiously loud and would wake my family if they slept next door. It’s one of those things you have to get used to when using Kailh or Cherry MX Blue mechanical switches.

Typing up documents wasn’t too bad. The draw back here is that words are typed up too quickly. It’s an awkward feeling as words are rapidly misspelled. This was due to the rapidness of keys. It requires you to change their style a bit.

Then some keys appear to be a little slower than others. I often found myself mistyping things which typically doesn’t happen with non-Blue switch boards. However, it might be from lack of experience rather than work.

Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review

Another item was that the Backspace button was super soft, almost too much in comparison to the rest of the keys. At first, I thought there might be a manufacturer defect, or it was somehow damaged. It just felt abnormally soft compared to most other keys. The same experience was observed with the Enter and Shift keys. These three keys threw me off whenever pressed. It might be intentional on the part of Tt esports; nonetheless, I was thrown off.

Another thing to note about the Backspace key is that I noticed it sticking. It held for a certain length of time and caused the delete area to go past what was intended. I tried to delete a sentence and ended up erasing a bit more. I found that the standard keys have a bite, a precision to them when pressed down. Overall, I found the MEKA PRO somewhat disappointing for use as a regular keyboard.

Read:   Gaming: Gamdias HERMES 7 Color Keyboard Review

Performance Testing – Gameplay

Gameplay consisted of the following games and times:

• Rainbow Six: Siege – 2 Hours
• RimWorld – 3 Hours

• Mount & Blade: Warband – 50 Minutes
• Total War: Shogun 2 – 2 Hours

With Rainbox Six, I found the MEKA PRO had some difficulty pressing some of the video game “hot keys.” For example, to pull up the Ubisoft screen, one had to press Shift-F2. This was rather difficult to accomplish and took a lot of time, one which players usually don’t have.

Also, I don’t like the Enter Key. Some games like this one require quick hits to the Enter button, and it felt unresponsive. I noticed that the mechanical keys tend to make my fingers and wrists a lot more tired as the game went on. With long-term games such as Siege, it requires a lot of holding down buttons and rapid pressing which can be rather tiring.

Overall, it’s just okay for shooter games that keep you under tension or require quick dodges. I found my fingers tiring quickly, beginning to lose a lot of their mobility as the rounds went on, and often when crouching, my pinky would start to tire of holding down all the buttons.

[envira-gallery id=”8911″]

With Rimworld, the MEKA PRO was much kinder. The quickness of the keys made things much easier to move around the map. It was still tiring, but not nearly as much as the previous game. I found this game worked perfectly with a mechanical keyboard. After 3 hours of play time, I liked using these Cherry MX Blue mechanical switches a lot more.

However, the distance between keys was bothering, and the relative softness of the larger keys was a bit off putting, Again, this could be personal bias/preference.

On Mount & Blade, I couldn’t stand the super hard keys. It’s a problem with the F1-F9 keys. They require the top fingers to reach, and considering that the game involves using F1-F9 a lot, it makes it very hard to arrive at these keys without feeling like one is uncomfortably stretching their hands.

Finally, on Total War, there was no noticeable change. A good game play could have been achieved just as easily with a non-gaming keyboard.

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Pros:

  • Relatively Compact. It fit well with two laptops and a bunch of other stuff on my desk.
  • It has excellent ambient lighting in the background, works perfectly at night.
  • The alphabet buttons felt fantastic! There’s good response on most keys, and there’s nice feedback.

 Cons:

  • Clicking noise on the keyboard is obnoxiously loud thanks to the Cherry MX Blue switches. Fortunately, there are other switches available such as the Cherry Brown and Red. The keys sometimes sound like an M1 Garand reload ping when typed.
  • The Enter and Backspace keys felt a bit too soft. It threw the nice tapping of the other keys off a ton. This feels like a gaming keyboard, and those other keys have vast uses when typing. I found that a regular keyboard works much better with it.
  • I’m not sure about the issue I have with the F1-F9 keys. I dislike them; it makes it so that for highly tactical games such as Mount in Blade where the F1 key plays a significant role, it is incredibly uncomfortable. It’s possible to key bind these to different keys, but the difficulty of using these in the first place offsets it I felt.
  • With the mechanical keys, there’s the issue of my fingers getting tired, especially in games which require a lot of finger dexterity. Fingers lost a lot of strength quickly and were tired by the end of the game. Plus, there was one sticky Backspace key.

Final Thoughts and Ratings

• Appearance: 9/10
• Usefulness (gaming): 7/10
• Overall: 7.3/10

• Space/compactness: 8/10
• Usefulness (Typing up essays and whatnot): 5/10

The MEKA PRO mechanical gaming keyboard has a list price of just under $90. Fortunately, it’s available on Amazon for $20 lower at the time of publishing.

There are scores of gaming keyboards available each with a variety of features, so shoppers will compare until they find the right keyboard for them.

Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review

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What do you think of this Tt esports MEKA PRO keyboard review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

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Don’t hesitate to head over to the Tt esports homepage to see their current line-up of products. The Tt esports Black FP gaming mouse comes with a 2-year warranty. Should you need to reach Customer Support, click on this link.

This review was co-written with Gamer Jack Yang. All photographs are the copyrighted property of Thermaltake or Beantown LLC © 2017.

FTC Disclosure: Tt esports provided Beantown LLC with one (1) MEKA PRO mechanical gaming keyboard sample for review purposes. Both writers opinions are 100% their own and neither are paid product ambassadors.

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Filed Under: Gaming Hardware Tagged With: Cherry MX, gaming keyboard, mechanical keyboard, MEKA Pro, Thermaltake, tT eSports 08/22/2017

Review: Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo

03/10/2016 By Hakan Can

Tt eSports Commander Gaming Gear Combo review

There’s one thing all PC Gamers can agree on, and that’s PC Gaming is not cheap! It’s especially true if you want a decent system. For the millions of you who indulge in this hobby, activity, or career, you already know this. For those of you who aren’t gamers, allow me to indulge you. Let’s begin building a gaming PC.  If I summed up the cost of a Nvidia GTX970 (or greater) graphics card, an Intel Core I7 CPU, a 480GB SSD, and 32GB of DDR4 RAM, you’re looking at a starting price close to $1K. And as you know, there’s more to a system that this. It won’t be long before you appreciate what Tt esports has to offer. Without further delay, let’s take a closer look in this (Red Light) Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo review.

Tt eSports Commander Gaming Gear Combo

Image Credit: Thermaltake Technology Co.

Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo Review

It’s no surprise so many gamers stick with a gaming console like Microsoft’s Xbox One S or Sony’s PlayStation 4. They’re a fraction of the price, at least, 2-3x less expensive when compared to a PC system.

If you’re anything like me, the components we choose last are the following: keyboard, mouse, and headphones.

This is mainly because we think about the internal hardware first, external hardware second. Plus, there’s the issue of going over budget after purchasing the aforementioned internal hardware.

Purchasing an amazing keyboard and mouse can collectively set a gamer back close to $200. Toss in an amazing headset and you’re now looking at $300 or more. Sometimes, we get lucky and catch a sale. We can thank the retailers, like Best Buy and others, for Black Friday (and real holiday) sales to lessen the blow to our wallets.

Fortunately, when it comes to the Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo, we don’t have to wait for a great price on a keyboard and mouse. It lists for $30 all year long. Now, don’t go reaching for Q-tips to unblock those ears. You heard me correctly the first time, it lists for $30, sometimes selling for less on the above-mentioned holidays.

[envira-gallery id="4194"]

Design, Features, and Layout of the Commander Keyboard

The Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo (Red Light) keyboard itself is beautiful, with a unique aesthetic that I haven’t seen before. The keys themselves have a rubber coating which gives the keyboard a finished feel. There’s a nice contrast going on here with the polished keys versus the matte finish of the keyboard chassis. Did I forget to mention the chassis metal-like edges?

The keys when pressed give an audible click, which to me is quite satisfying. The Tt Type II plunger switches provide a mechanical tactile feel. These plunger switches provide the benefits many (mechanical) gaming keyboards have these days. Keystroke lifecycle is 15 Million. Caps are replaceable.

The bottom row of the keyboard has larger keys than the rest of the board. This is something you don’t see all that often and takes a little getting used to.

The 104-key full-size keyboard is fully backlit with a lush red color. It has 5 brightness levels: Off, ¼, ½, ¾, and fully lit. It also has 2 different light settings: a slow pulse mode and continuous light. If red is not your color of choice, there’s a (Blue Light) Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo available. Neither the blue or red light Commander keyboard options change color. Don’t fret. There’s a blue-red-purple color changing option available. It’s the (Multi Light) Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo and it lists for $35.

The Commander keyboard comes with a non-detachable 6 Foot (1.8 Meter) long cable which connects via a single USB port. The cable is of a braided design and quite sturdy.

Drain holes are included in the Commander keyboard to minimize damage from liquid spills getting inside the chassis. Nonetheless, I don’t recommend testing it.

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Tt eSports Commander Gaming Gear Combo

Graphics Credit: Thermaltake Technology Co.

The keyboard comes with its own shortcuts via 16 special “Fn” buttons. These shortcuts are to the calculator, an internet browser, email, media player controls, and brightness. One of these 16 shortcuts is (Fn + W) that switches WASD to the arrow keys and vice versa. Another is (Fn + Q) which adjusts the repeat rate. There’s a 17th shortcut (Fn + Win) to lock out the entire keyboard from input in the event you want to clean and/or vacuum it.

Specifications of the Commander Keyboard

Tt eSports Commander Gaming Gear Combo

Graphics Credit: Thermaltake Technology Co.

The keyboard does not come with special software, so it is not programmable. There are no macro keys or game profiles. These two feature sets are available on many higher-end Tt eSports keyboards.

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Design, Features, and Layout of the Commander Mouse

The Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo mouse is equally as beautiful as its keyboard counterpart. Like the keyboard, the mouse lights up red. It has a cool design with a rubberized top and plastic sides. It comes with 4 customizable DPI (some say CPI) settings: 800, 1200, 1800 and 2400. The DPI button is located top and center on the mouse. In front of the DPI button is the tire-treaded scroll wheel.

Tt eSports Commander Gaming Gear Combo

Graphics Credit: Thermaltake Technology Co.

In addition to top left and right buttons, the mouse has two thumb buttons on its left side. While the mouse fits comfortably in my hand, it’s a little on the small side. The mouse is not a weight-in design. The mouse was tested on a laminated wood surface, and it operated as designed.

If red is not your color of choice, there’s the earlier mentioned (Blue Light) Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo. Neither the blue nor the red light mouse change color. For the blue-red-purple color changing option, you’ll want the previously mentioned (Multi Light) Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo.

Specifications of the Commander Mouse

Tt eSports Commander Gaming Gear Combo

Graphics Credit: Thermaltake Technology Co.

The mouse is not programmable. There are no macro keys or game profiles. These two feature sets are available on many higher-end Tt esports mice.

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A Little Nitpicking

The keyboard works well in both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. However, the mouse doesn’t work in USB 3.0, which is a bit odd. Another issue is the mouse occasionally stops functioning for about 3 seconds, then fixes itself, leaving you stranded in a video game. While it doesn’t occur frequently, it definitely happens.

My main complaint is when the computer is turned off. The keyboard lights shut off, but the mouse lights do not. My computer is in my bedroom and I can’t sleep with any lights on. So I have to reach behind the computer and unplug the darn thing. Then, plug it back in every morning.

Final Thoughts on a Budget-Friendly Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Combo

Whoever said a great keyboard and mouse combo had to cost $100 or more was definitely wrong here. Even with the minor issues mentioned above, we were and continue to be pleased with the (Red Light) Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo. They’ve put together a great budget-minded keyboard and mouse combo full of mid-level features.

 

You can purchase the (Red Light) Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo from a variety of sellers such as Amazon and Thermaltake’s own store. Amazon currently charges $30 for this combo. Tt esports offers a wide range of gaming keyboards, mice, and more for all types of users across multiple price points.

Tt esports has put together a great budget-minded keyboard and mouse combo full of mid-level features. Click To Tweet

What do you think of this (Red Light) Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

• Follow Tt esports on Twitter
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Don’t hesitate to head over to the Tt esports homepage to see their current line-up of products. The Tt esports Commander Gaming Gear Combo comes with a 2-Year Warranty. Should you need to reach Customer Support, click on this link. If you’re in need of accessories such as metal cap sets or backpacks, click on the link.

 

This review was co-written with my nephew Zachary who tested and later kept the keyboard and mouse combo.

FTC Disclosure: Thermaltake Technology Co. did not provide Beantown LLC with any product for review purposes. We purchased it ourselves. Our writers opinions are 100% their own.

All photographs are the copyrighted property of Thermaltake Technology Co. and/or Beantown LLC.

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Filed Under: Gaming Hardware Tagged With: Gaming, gaming keyboard, gaming m, Thermaltake, tT eSports 08/20/2017

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