The Package

The QPAD MK-80 mechanical gaming keyboard ships in a very flashy box. QPAD have gone overboard with features on this keyboard, it has: blue background lighting (three intensity settings), spare orange hot keys, headset pass through and a USB 2.0 hub!


The bundle includes everything you might need and then some. Among the treats is a key cap remover along with four spare bright orange keys you could use to highlight the WASD area.


Because of the pass through feature and USB 2.0 hub the one cable that leaves the keyboard splits into four separate leads. Two mini-jacks for the headset transport, a PS/2 connector for the keyboard and a USB connector for the integrated hub.

Closer Examination

The MK-80 keyboard from QPAD looks really good compared to most gaming keyboards. The design is slightly anonymous with the lights off but once they are turned on it becomes a very prominent figure on your desktop.


Cherry MX Blues with a twist! QPAD have managed to create a keyboard with back lighting. This also means that the lettering on the key caps will not wear off any time soon, unlike that of keyboards with printed lettering.


In order to improve comfort the key scape is slightly bent. This means that all the keys are in roughly the same distance to your fingers no matter what row they are situated on. Also worth noticing in that the entire keyboard is covered with a non-slip rubber-like coating. This feels a bit odd at first but after a while you learn to appreciate the softer feel of the keys.


At the top right corner we find the three key lock indicators. These glow with the same intensity all the time which is quite annoying. Since the keyboard already has a dimming system it makes no sense. These three diodes should have been hooked up to the light controller like the rest of the 101 keys!


The design of the QPAD MK-80 is really durable and all the details seem well integrated, except for the light controller.