TechPowerUp visited over twenty-five companies at CES this year, and the very last one was Bloody Gaming, which certainly showed up as not the least. The brand holds a sweet spot for yours truly given one of their keyboards was the very first I reviewed here. They were also the first brand to use optical switches in consumer peripherals that I had known of, and at CES, they showed off their new LK Libra third-generation optical "Light Strike" switches in keyboards and mice alike. In a quick turnaround, all three of the new keyboards are already out and available for purchase, and when I was contacted about doing a review, there was only one real answer. So here we are taking a look at their new B945 keyboard, and thanks again to Bloody Gaming for providing a review sample.
The range of keyboards featuring these new switches includes the full-size B975 and TKL B930, in addition to the subject of this review, the B945. We see that this is also a full-size keyboard, but differentiating it from the B975 is the location of the numpad, among other things. With ergonomics in mind for right-handed users wishing to keep the mouse closer to the keyboard, and thus having their arms not angled outward, the B945 has a left-sided numpad, making it among the very few to do so. This allows users to get the benefits of a TKL keyboard on a desk, assuming it is large enough to accommodate a full-size keyboard, and also have a numpad for when you need to crunch some numbers or even just use the assigned functionality there. There is also RGB backlighting here, and onboard controls with additional functionality from a software driver round up the key points to note as we begin to explore everything in more detail by starting with a look at the specifications below.
Specifications
Bloody B945 Optical Keyboard
Layout:
107-key modified US ANSI layout; left-side numpad
Material:
Aluminum alloy top plate, ABS plastic bottom panel and keycaps
Macro Support:
Yes
Weight:
0.91 kg / 2.00 lbs.
Wrist Rest:
Yes
Anti-ghosting:
Full N-Key rollover
Media Keys:
Available as a secondary function or re-assigned to keys from software driver