Mechanical keyboards in which the key switches can be swapped using hot-swap technology, such as the Epic Gear Defiant or the Tesoro Gram Spectrum, were niche products until now. Even the Glorious Modular Mechanical Keyboard (GMMK) that we tested in issue 12/2019, a barebones that can be equipped with 3-pin switches from Gateron and Kailh, as well as various key variants, was only partially accepted by gamers. A good two years later things have changed. Custom keyboards, which you can assemble based on your personal preferences in terms of the color of the casing and key caps, as well as the switches, are currently all the rage. What could be the reason for the sudden popularity? We try to clarify this with our comparison test, among other things.
attempted categorization
Custom mechanical keyboards, all of which have a printed circuit board (PCB) capable of changing key switches (hot-swap technology) as a common feature, can be divided into four categories based on their customization options. The first group includes models where you can only change the keyswitches, such as with the Logitech G Pro X gaming keyboard tested here, where the tenkeyless form factor keyboard switch PCB can only be equipped with the variant of 3 pins. As with the Sharkoon SGK 50 S4, the second category custom keyboards switch circuit board supports all 3-pin and 5-pin switches. In addition, you can exchange some of the keycaps for other variants, which are usually offered by the manufacturer itself.
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You will find the following products in the test:
- Glorious GMMK 2 Full Size Prebuilt Edition
- Glorious GMMK Pro Custom (GMMK Pro Black Slate 75% TKL [ISO]GMMK Pro 75% Brass Switch Plate [ISO]GMMK Pro Aqua Blue Top Frame, Pastel GPBT Keycaps [ISO]Glorious Lynx Switches [geschmiert]white GMMK PRO rotary knob, phantom white coiled cord)
- Logitech G Pro X Gaming Keyboard
- Everest Mountain 60 (ANSI Design)
- Function NZXT Fullsize BLD (Barebone Full Size [weiß, ISO-Layout]Gateron Aliaz Silent Switches [geschmiert]base keys in black, decorative keys in yellow)
- NZXT Mini TKL BLD function (Barebone with integrated central block [weiß, ISO-Layout]Gateron Silent Black Ink V2 Switches [geschmiert]gray base keys, purple decorative keys)
- Sharkoon Skiller SGK50 S4 White
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