Performance

The Fnatic miniSTREAK keyboard supports N-key rollover USB out of the box, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either.

When first connected, the miniSTREAK lights up in a temporary orange before transitioning over to a rainbow wave effect going down and up. It does a good job of showcasing the RGB lighting while also confirming a successful connection of the keyboard itself.


The guide describes how to use the onboard controls for lighting, and the software gives more control over it. Enabling competition mode switches the entire keyboard to a static orange at 25% brightness by default, but this can be changed in the software as we saw before. Onboard control also allows for static gradient modes and some preset colors if you do not wish to use Fnatic OP for per-key 16.8 M color control. Multi-color gradient mode shows there is some color bleed owing to the floating keycaps, though not a lot given the dark matte finish given to the aluminium frame. The preset white color is also cooler than true white, which itself is not a surprise for RGB LEDs.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, making good use of the hardware and software alike. The three other profiles from the default can be associated with these effects and come pre-programmed to be visually different out of the box. Profile switching is one of the many other pre-programmed functions tied to the discrete keys, and the Fn key row, including macros, media and volume control, which adds to the overall user experience with this keyboard. Whether or not you are into competitive gaming, having a lightweight, configurable keyboard of good build quality is always nice.



As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Fnatic miniSTREAK keyboard sample at ~110 WPM as it comes out of the box. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out, as is common with lighter linear switches such as these, but notice that the keyboard is pretty quiet as a whole due to the combination of the keycaps, case, and MX Silent Red switches. In terms of actuation and typing, this was just the fourth keyboard I have used to date with the Cherry MX Silent Red RGB switches, and these are rated similar to the more popular MX Red, but have bumpers to dampen both the downstroke and upstroke. These bumpers also reduce the overall actuation and travel distance to 1.9 mm and 3.7 mm respectively, but the actuation force stays the same at 45 cN.