A gaming setup consumes a huge amount of money. Where you have to spend the maximum percentage of your entire budget on CPU and GPU in this shortage time, have no other choice but to manage in accessories part. In the Indian market, a mechanical gaming keyboard costs almost Rs.4,000. RAPOO is one of the few companies that is offering a gaming mechanical wired keyboard at only Rs.3,300. RAPOO GK500 is the product which was launched in October last year. Now the obvious question is if there are any quality compromises or not. Fortunately, I got the opportunity from the brand to check the same.
Before jumping in, the RAPOO GK500 is available in India via Flipkart and other e-commerce platforms at Rs.3,300. However, it was launched at Rs.3,999. There are two colour options – Black and White. I have the black model to test.
Specifications:
- Full mechanical keys, high-speed response
- Conflict-free design for all keys
- Spill-resistant design
- Aluminum Alloy surface cover, full keyboard suspension design.
- Media control
- Individually backlit keys
- Durable keys with double colour injection molding keycaps.
- 2 Years Warranty
In the Box
- The RAPOO GK500
- Key puller
- User Manual
Design & Build:
The RAPOO GK500 is a full-size gaming mechanical gaming keyboard having the standard US English layout. The aluminium alloy surface cover adds some weight, though provides a premium feel in every touch. There is enough space in between the keys to avoid conflicts during any of your tough combats. RAPOO says it’s a non-conflict design. On top of it, the keyboard is spill-resistant too. That means it can tackle any accidental spill. Fortunately, this kind of accident did not happen to me at the time of testing.
The durable mechanical keys on the board are super durable with the claim of 60 million strokes of life span. It features the Blue keys.
The company has integrated both the number keypad and the media keys as well for a smooth user experience. So, no matter if you are doing any official work where need to deal with numbers frequently or you have a habit of listening songs, you have all the options handy at your fingertips.
The USB-A connecting wire is long enough. Hence, installing it will not be an issue. The driver-less setup process also contributes to it. Lastly, the stands are hard and durable to support the keyboard when your release your emotion on it.
Typing:
The main feature to check for any keyboard is the typing experience. I already mentioned about the durability of the keys, 60 million keystrokes. As heavy users, we can be worry-free for a long time with this RAPOO GK500.
The black model is the Blue Switch edition with a minimal travel distance for each key. It is providing a nice clicky experience while typing, however, producing noise at the same time. A mechanical keyboard fan will surely love it.
The double colour injection moulding keycaps help a lot while typing or playing games in the dark. During testing and at the time of writing this review, didn’t experience any response skip, which is important; especially when you are dependent on your keyboard while participating in any gaming contest or while finishing any report in hurry.
Overall, the typing experience is way better than what you expect by seeing the price tag. It’s always a premium clicky experience, maintaining the premiumness within budget.
Gaming:
From the typing experience, probably you already get an idea of how the gaming experience could be. Before coming to the in-hand feel, let me tell you about the connectivity. It’s a wired keyboard and connects to a PC with a long USB Type-A cable. So, there is exactly zero latency.
All the keys added on the board are equally reactive and take minimal time to snap back. Altogether, it allows you to focus on your game only, not on the accessories. The tactile experience is good enough, but the keystroke noises could be disturbing sometime. Though, these keys are one of the advantages of this RAPOO GK500 as well, just like the opposite side of the coin.
The backlit feature helps to create the gaming vibes for you and also helps you locate the exact key. There are multiple lighting modes too to select as per your requirements.
RGB:
Gamming accessory and no RGB lighting? Not possible right? RAPOO also didn’t skip this. But not just for the namesake, the company has implemented it really well. Even it allows saving ten customised lighting modes as per your requirement. Other than that, there are six pre-set attractive RGB modes with the freedom to adjust the brightness and movement speed.
To save your customised lighting –
- Press Fn + any number key from 1 to 0 [ in which shortcut you want to save ]
- Press Fn + End and notice the three Notification LEDs will start blinking together
- Press the keys you want to set to be lit up in this mode
- Once done, press Fn + End again to save that
Now whenever you will press Fn + the particular number, your customised lighting mode will be enabled. We can overwrite previously set lighting by following the same steps. Only need to press the lite-up key for the second time to make it off.
To adjust the brightness, press the Fn + Up or Down arrow key. On the other hand, to increase the speed of the RGB movement, press the Fn + Right or Left arrow key.
To try out the pre-set RGB modes press Fn + any of these keys – Ins, Del, Home, PgUp, or PgDn. In the Fn + PgUp mode, there are two modes; try the same combination for the second time to try the additional mode.
The RGBs are well managed by RAPOO. It’s impressive to me considering the pricing.
Verdict:
The RAPOO GK500 will be on my recommendation list, no matter if your budget is tight and still want a heavy-duty mechanical gaming keyboard or you just looking for a premium gaming keyboard. It is providing a highspeed response rate, premium typing and in-hand feel, spill-resistant design, fabulous RGB management, media keys, and more at a cost of Rs.3,300 only in this market. Additionally, it doesn’t skip the numpad.
You can buy the RAPOO GK500 from Flipkart and some other online platforms.
RAPOO Store: https://amzn.to/3NzMKOt
