Closer Examination

As we saw before, the HyperX Alloy Origins keyboard comes in a plastic wrap to keep it pristine and free of dust out of the box. Removing it, we get our first good look at the keyboard, and it is on the heavier side of average as far as full-size plastic case keyboards go. For one, there are a lot of RGB LEDs. Secondly, the plastic case is just on the sides and bottom and attached to a pretty thick aluminium body frame on top. The minimal bezels, which are essentially rounded edges on the sides, and the heft make the keyboard feel really solid in your hands, which is a positive in my books. The HyperX branding is on the space bar as well as the top-right corner, which does seem redundant, but is in white to retain a monochrome look that fits any environment well, whether work or home.

There are three indicator LEDs in the top-right corner above the numpad, which in turn has keycaps that have secondary legends below the primary ones. The alphanumeric section ends up having both sets of legends, as applicable, alongside each other instead, and as we see above, the Fn row follows the trend of the numpad with the keyboard-specific secondary legends underneath the primary ones. All this and the location of single legends being in the top-center is indicative of where the backlighting will be more uniform; those at the bottom may not end up as bright as those at the top. The legends have a clean typeface and are generally large enough to easily be legible for most people.


Flipping the keyboard around, we see the usual certification sticker in the middle of the plastic casing. There are four rectangular rubber pads on the corners to keep the keyboard from sliding around on the desk, and two feet at the top open up to optionally elevate the keyboard in two separate options for a total of three elevations (including none). These feet also have rubber pads on the bottom to prevent scratches and retain grip on the resting surface.


The front facing towards the monitor is where we see this keyboard's connectivity options, as is the norm with keyboards. In contrast to the older Alloy FPS keyboards, there is no USB pass-through anymore, and we also get a change from mini-USB to an inset USB Type-C port. The former was for power pass-through only, so it is not as big a loss as losing a dedicated USB pass-through port, and the adoption of the Type-C connector is nice to see. In an ideal world, we would also get a full pass-through port, but I will take this current I/O version. You will need an available USB Type A port on your PC, and USB 2.0 will suffice here, although the lack of USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) ports is not really a problem with even relatively recent hardware.


The keycaps have an OEM profile, and the various rows are thus sculpted accordingly. They have a floating design, which allows for easier cleaning, but can cause more light bleed, which may or may not be to your liking. The stock keycaps are thin ABS plastic with an average wall thickness of 0.91 mm, so expect them to develop a shine due to finger oils with use. The legends are laser etched, which will have these wear out quicker relative to other application techniques, including dye sublimation and doubleshot injection. As expected, backlighting will be affected depending on where the legends are located relative to the LED underneath.


There is currently only one switch option for the Alloy Origins, and we see the new HyperX Red Linear switch in use above. HyperX recently also announced the HyperX Aqua switch at Gamescom, and they are working on at least one more switch as we speak, but do not expect to see an other switch option on the Alloy Origins keyboard until next year at the earliest. This is, as the name suggests, a linear switch designed after the Cherry MX Red when it comes to function with the Cherry MX stem design and a relatively light spring. The LEDs are separate from the switch and present above them, and the larger keycaps use Cherry-style stabilizers to complete the not-quite-Cherry-but-close-enough experience. For what it is worth, HyperX is not sharing any more information on the OEM of the switch, but I will go ahead and throw out the Kailh name based on my experience.