Lighting and Performance

The HyperX Alloy Origins 60 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. Note also the base layer above, which shows which functions get dedicated keys on the keyboard. Finally, Switch Hitter does not care about the order in which the keys were pressed, but we still have the bottom row being different from the usual with Fn instead of R. Control taking up the bottom-right corner.

When first connected, regardless of whether HyperX NGENUITY is running or not, the keyboard lights up in a rainbow wave lighting effect. The transition animation is smooth and a good demo to ensure the keyboard is powered on and working properly.


I then manually set all the keys to white using the software driver to test for color fidelity since RGB LEDs have a hard time depicting white, and it was warmer than average with a pink hue. This may be due to the RGB LED right above the switch and minimal diffusion outside of the LED lens, and the black case does not reflect much, either. Interestingly, this is opposite to what we saw with the Alloy Origins Core that had a blue hue instead. In a separate test over one of the preset multi-colored options, I tested for light bleed, and it was definitely present at the common edges because of the floating keycaps. The black base helps here, however, and it does not become a distraction by any means.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, including the breathing, confetti, and swipe effects making good use of the hardware and software alike. The two other profiles can be associated with these effects and are indeed visually different out of the box when active.

Profile switching is one of the many other pre-programmed functions tied to the Fn key layer, which is critical on smaller form factor keyboard. HyperX added some multimedia and volume controls in addition to the arrow keys, Ins-Pg Dn cluster, and, of course, Fn keys. These are denoted by the front-facing legends on the keycaps, which reduces the learning curve significantly, but layers are your friend here, and key mapping is going to be just as useful in making your time with the keyboard a pleasure rather than a pain. You might ask why you should go through all of this and have fewer keys than a TKL or full-size keyboard. The general answer for all smaller form factor keyboards tends to be ergonomics, with shorter finger travel leading to lower fatigue over longer typing sessions. You can also have the mouse closer to the keyboard and in line with your shoulder. Many companies these days make a 60% keyboard for other reasons, the biggest of which is aesthetics. The smaller form factor allows for different materials and designs without the increased cost when scaled up to a full-size keyboard. This also goes for custom keycaps, which can end up more expensive than the keyboard itself. Lastly, these can be marketed as gaming keyboards through profiles and layers for what ends up being a larger gamepad rather than a smaller keyboard.



The key-assignment options in the software allow for users to go with layouts other than QWERTY, and 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 is also 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. Coders may be interested in the ability to remap the Esc key to Tilde for console commands in the software, as well as using layers if you prefer Esc on the base layer.


As we discussed before, at the time of writing, the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 is only available with the HyperX Red linear switch. This linear switch has more than a few visual similarities to a few Kailh switches, but HyperX remains tight-lipped about the OEM of the switch at this time. The rated specifications will be similar to most low-medium weight linear mechanical switches, with an actuation force of 45 gf at 1.8 mm and a total travel of 3.8 mm, but a whopping rated lifetime of 80 million keystrokes. We must note again that different companies use different metrics to measure switch lifespan, often involving extrapolation given the reality of testing times, so the number itself is not a pure measure of quality and durability. The force-travel diagram is of more interest to me, with a 3-step linear change in downstroke that promises reliable performance if all switches behave so. In practice, these switches were indeed very smooth to type on, and I did not notice significant break-in effects as with some other switches.


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 Origins 60 sample at ~85 WPM as it comes out of the box with the HyperX Red RGB switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out more often than not owing to the lighter actuation switches this keyboard employs compared to my preference. You can also hear the ping off the aluminium with the downstrokes, in addition to the space bar rattle—this is not what I would call a generally quiet keyboard.