Usage & Final Thoughts
If we’re being honest the main feature of this keyboard is the RGB lighting. As highlighted in the video the on board lighting controls has benefits and drawbacks. It’s very convenient to have the option to hit a couple keys and change up your colors. Certainly once you become used to the control scheme it is very simply to use. The drawback of not having any software controls involved is you are limited to the six modes that the board comes programed with. We’ve seen a lot of these RGB keyboards lately and there are some really cool things you can do with the lighting if you have the ability to custom control the movement and colors. Overall the lights themselves are pretty good, although I can’t help but wish they were a little brighter through the keys at full brightness. There is so much light that splashes down onto the faceplate from behind the keys that it is almost stronger than the light coming through the key caps.
Let’s talk about keys. The one thing that makes a mechanical board so special is of course the key switches themselves. These come in a variety of styles and flavors with the most loved and subsequently most popular being Cherry MX switches. The downside of building a deck with Cherry switches is cost. They are more expensive to procure and thus result in a higher retail price on the board. A decent alternative to Cherry are Kailh switches. These are much cheaper and offer a much improved feel compared to dome switches. The keys included on the MGK 1 RGB are Kailh Blues, which are meant to be a direct competitor to Cherry MX Blues. To me the Kailhs are pretty good switches, but they have a certain dullness in their actuation that you won’t find with the Cherry variant. While the MX blues have crisp, clear, and very clackety actuation, the Kailhs just feel a bit less responsive. They do have a nice high actuation point, and they return well enough, I think it might just be the difference in the build materials or tolerances that leads to a lackluster overall feel when compared with equivalent MX switches. One nice thing about them is they are a bit more quiet which is important to those who share spaces with others. And in truth they are leaps ahead of any dome switch I’ve ever used. The MGK 1 RGB also comes equipped with what they are calling “Advanced N Key Rollover functionality” which should allow every keypress to be transmitted to your PC no matter how hard you’re spamming those keys in game.
I’ve been using the MGK 1 RGB for almost two months now for general computing, writing, and of course gaming. Mostly I’ve played Battlefield 4 multiplayer, but I also spent some time in Paragon. For general computing and writing I would say the board is pretty good. Again though you lack some of the tactile feel that Cherry MX Blues would give you. Especially while writing over long periods you start to miss the MX Blues. In game I found the board to be acceptable as well but again not exceptional. Once more I long for the crisper feel of an MX switch. Additionally during early testing I was missing reloads (R key) in BF4 and I believe it is the keyboard but have not experienced the same issue outside of the game. Since then I’ve taken to spamming the ‘R’ key to make sure I don’t miss.
Physically the keyboard suits me. The height of the board is excellent and doesn’t require you to have to elevate your wrists too high. With the palm rest attached I noticed no strain or cramping during long sessions.
It’s also worth mentioning that the music controls are very useful when you don’t really want to leave the screen you’re on. I especially enjoy any keyboard equipped with a volume wheel as they are most efficient at quickly raising or lowering the volume.
The MGK 1 RGB can be found for as low as $99.99 on Newegg.com. A few years ago this would have been a really decent price for a mechanical keyboard. It will still cost you just a bit more to get RGB deck equipped with better switches, but not a whole lot more. Most of those options are going to come with software to program the lighting as well.
This keyboard has some really great features and would have been an awesome deal even a year ago. Right now however the market has become pretty saturated with many options for RGB Mechanical boards. Overall ThinkComputers gives the AZIO MGK 1 RGB an 8 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Looks Great
– Solid Build
– Lot’s of on board functions
– RGB Lighting
Cons:
– Key feel is lackluster
– No software
– No macro’s
