Performance

The Alloy FPS RGB keyboard from HyperX 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 with HyperX NGenuity installed and running, the keyboard lights up in a rainbow wave lighting effect, which appears to be the default mode even without the driver running. The transition animation is smooth, and the effect is a good demo to also ensure the keyboard is powered on and working properly.


Some of the instant lighting effects include static lighting on specific keys, such as an FPS mode where the WASD keys are lit up differently from others. These work well enough when it comes to quickly distinguishing them, although in practice, they don't really do anything for gamers who have their fingers on those keys anyway. Setting all keys to white via the driver allowed me to test for color fidelity, given white is one of the hardest to get right for RGB LEDs on keyboards today, and I give props to HyperX for achieving a pretty good white. It was still slightly on the warmer side, but good enough to pass as white relative to most, if not all, competing products in the market. Per-key lighting control also enables testing of how light bleed is across different colors on keys, especially with the floating keycaps in use here. The position of the LEDs here means that common edges are dominated by the lower set of keys, and on a side-to-side basis, it ends up being a mix of the two different colors. Light bleed is on the higher side of average and is felt especially in static lighting effects, as compared to animated effects.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, for those interested. Everything said thus far on lighting remains valid here too.


Given this review also involves the new HyperX replacement keycaps, I wanted to see how they affect lighting on the keyboard. Turns out, lighting does a good job here, too, because of the dual colors with white on most of the sides allowing more light through relative to the stock black keycaps despite the thicker walls. This is especially visible in the first image above, where we can clearly see which keys have the replacement doubleshot PBT keycaps and which retain the stock keycaps (the ones in the middle). The replacement keycaps also provide for interesting side lighting from between the keycaps while minimizing the harsher light bleed effects by providing a more diffused, harmonious mix of colors, be it static or otherwise.


The key-assignment options in the software driver allow for users to also go with layouts other than QWERTY, and here, I used the source code from an older keyboard review in a layout tester (courtesy of Patrick Gillespie). The results above indicate that QWERTY is not even close to the most efficient layout for me, and very likely you as well. If you are willing, try out Colemak or Dvorak as they will result in lower finger travel and fatigue overall. As such, the driver offers a significant functional tool if you are willing to devote some time to adopting either Colemak or Dvorak. Here is the link to the full results if you are interested, including a detailed analysis on key presses and distances moved. The relatively simpler design of the keyboard means there are fewer dedicated hardware buttons for other things, so the driver is key for customization as far as functionality goes.

This sample came with the Kailh Silver Speed switches, which only comes in an RGB variant. This switch is similar in design to the Cherry MX Speed (Silver) RGB switch, but is actually part of a group of Kailh Speed switches (Copper, Bronze, Silver, and Gold) that came out in 2017. Indeed, as with just about anything Kailh seems to be doing lately, saying this is a clone of the Cherry MX switch would be harsh even if the name and stem color are going to draw comparisons, which is likely on purpose, too. The LED placement is different, as we saw before, and my personal experience with both switches, as well as those on an assembled keyboard, makes me want to say that the Kailh offering is ever so slightly smoother and more pleasant in use. I cannot say anything about switch yield, and that is out of the regime of this review, so let's get back to tangible numbers: the Kailh Silver Speed switch is rated for an actuation distance of 1.1 mm (+/- 0.3 mm pre-travel) at 50 gf and a total travel distance of 3.5 mm (+/- 0.3 mm pre-travel) with a peak force of 70 gf.



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 HyperX Alloy FPS RGB sample at ~105 WPM as it comes out of the box with both the stock keycaps and the replacement keycaps. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out here, which is not hard given the relatively light spring and shorter travel distance.