HyperX Alloy Origins

[Wazrach]

Listing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

I'm writing this "review" because I think this keyboard is quite special, even if it hasn't really caught the attention of many people yet, or so it seems. I saw the official HyperX video about their new mechanical switches, thinking: "Oh boy, another generic MX switch clone!" Well, I'm not sure I'm getting that vibe here.

These HyperX Red switches are really smooth. I don't have my Steelseries Apex Pro anymore to compare to, but they are seriously buttery. They also sound pretty good, which I think is due to the complete lack of play between the top and bottom of the switch housing. Every keypress sounds dense and consistent, with a firm thock. The Omnipoint Hall Effect switches, on the other hand, did have play between the top and bottom of the switch housing. The HyperX switches do not ping nearly as much as the Omnipoints or the Razer switches I've tried, which some may like. As for weighting and key travel, HyperX went with a mix between MX Red and Speed. That means they don't feel as endless as MX Reds or as unnaturally-short as Speeds. The actuation point is between the two at 1.8mm, and the switches are rated at 80 million keypresses, for those who care.

The chassis is actually fully-aluminium, even if it is rather low-profile. This is a great sign. I want this to catch on, so we can ditch the typical "slab of aluminium over thin plastic bottom case" setup that almost every "premium" gaming keyboard follows these days. Feels solid in the hands. You could absolutely hurt someone with this. Has two-stage flip-out feet on the base of the keyboard which are extremely sturdy and will not fold in when pushing the keyboard around.

The looks are simple and fairly clean, which most people will appreciate. It's literally just a rectangle with rounded corners, nothing showy. The HyperX logo is (printed?) above the numpad in silver, which looks pretty nice and unintrusive. I don't like the way they etched it into the spacebar, however. The lock indicators are housed in a cool little panel above the numpad, although I think it would be cleaner if it didn't continue to the edge of the keyboard. A rather boring braided, detachable USB-C cable is included.

As for RGB, it's bright, vibrant and the colours appear to be bundled well. There is a touch of green on the keycaps in front when the backlighting is set to white, but it's really not obvious. The lighting is similar to the Apex Pro, which has excellent RGB, although the Alloy's isn't QUITE as smooth. Unfortunately, the red lower switch housing does influence the lighting when looking directly at the switches. Even with moving patterns, I can clearly see the red switch housings. I stick to moving patterns or just plain red backlighting, so it's not that big of a problem for me, but it does make me scratch my head a little bit.

Keycaps are the typical thin lasered ABS on most modern keyboards. The finish is actually quite nice to the touch. While it shows oils, it isn't nearly as bad as the ones on the Zowie Celeritas, Wooting One or the Logitech G413, which just look disgusting within minutes of use. They all use caps with a more powdery finish that really bring a new meaning to "fingerprint magnet". The font is slightly too chunky and tryhardy, but it's still much better than that disgusting cheap PBT stenciled font.

Stabilisers are rattly Cherry-style stabilisers. I'm no expert so I'm not sure if they're plate mount. I applied some dielectric grease from the top with a thin paint brush and they already sound better. Unless this is like the Apex Pro, in which case I can't open it without breaking something, I will open the keyboard and replace the stabilisers with genuine Cherry plate-mount at some point.


So, to wrap it up, this doesn't feel like just another gaming keyboard. I purchased the US ANSI version from Amazon UK for £85. Yeah, you're not getting dedicated media keys or whatever bullshit features gamers care about, but the build quality, switches and RGB make up for that.

[Wazrach]

Pictures will follow at some point.

I apologise if the structure of my poor excuse for a review isn't all that, but I'd like to hear what you think if this keyboard interests you.

[Ander]

Nobody replied? That was an excellent and very thoughtful review, so thanks (even though I'm late saying it!).

I agree, I think HyperX Alloy boards and switches are quite unappreciated. The boards are impressively solid, and the switches unquestionably beat the Cherry MX switches that "inspired" them. Hope you're still enjoying yours as much as I do mine. Cheers!