Closer Examination

Removing the keyboard from the box, we can see that it uses a very simple aesthetic design; it doesn't come with a wrist rest, and without having it plugged in, it is very similar to the rest of the Poseidon series.


Turning the Tt eSPORTS Poseidon Z RGB over, we can see that the cable is firmly attached. The cable is 1.8m long and is not braided. There is a ferrite bead near the USB connector to reduce EMI. There's also a groove along the bottom, so we can pick which side it extrudes from, which can be very useful when organizing your desk.


We have two feet on the bottom, which makes tilting the keyboard possible, and the grooves make pulling them out a breeze.


Flipping the keyboard back over, we can start to look at some of its features. The font on the keycaps is very easy to read, and there is no confusion between letters. The F keys are multifunctional - F1 to F4 deal with media and F5 to F7 deal with volume when used with the FN Key.


F9 gives us macro-recording capability and F11 and F12 deal with the LEDs' brightness level when combined with the FN key.


The top-right of the keyboard gives us a lot of information as well since there are the little LEDs to let us know if any functions, such as Numlock, are active. More interestingly, though, is a button to disables the Windows key. This is always great for a keyboard marketed at gamers as there is nothing more frustrating than minimizing a game by accidentally pressing the Windows key.


The keyboard did not come with a key puller, but after pulling a few of the keycaps off, we can see that we have Kailh blue switches like previously mentioned. We can also see the LEDs and a silver midplate. The silver midplate is an excellent choice as it will reflect the LEDs, giving the colors a far more vibrant look. The Kailh switches have the usual "cross" Cherry uses, so changing keycaps is easy.


Having removed the larger switches, we see that tension bars are used to keep these keys from compressing at an angle, which is a nice, cheap way of solving the problem, although I prefer unconnected switches for their far nicer feel and somewhat quieter experience. Having said so, there is nothing wrong with tension bars and many keyboards use them.


When plugging the keyboard in, we are instantly greeted by lights, and with the P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 buttons, we can actually scroll through some preset LED functions. This means the keyboard can be run without any drivers if you wish, but installing Thermaltake's software will also expand functionality.


One of the modes flashes through multiple colors. Green, purple, and blue are just a few of the selections you can make.


Even with the lights on, the colors are bright enough to be seen easily. If the LEDs are too bright for you, there is the option to dim them down.