The Agon AGK700 Keyboard and AGK700 mouse are two of the latest offerings from AOC Gaming. Built from the ground up with precision and accuracy in mind, the 700 series aims to take gamers to the next level in their favorite game. How well do the mouse and keyboard execute this goal? Grab that coffee, kick back, and find out in our review of the Agon 700 Series.
Looking for another AGON option? Be sure to check out our review of the AGON 500 Series!
Specifications
Keyboard
- Current Price: 179.99USD (Amazon)
- Size: Full Size
- Switch Type: Cherry MX Blue
- Switch Lifespan: 50 million clicks
- Programmable Keys: All Keys
- Macro Keys: 5 Dedicated
- Rollover: Full keys
- Anti-Ghosting: 100%
- RGB: 16.8 million colours
- USB Passthrough: 1x USB 2.0 Type A
- Connection: 2x Wired USB 2.0
- Cable Length: 1.8m
- Dimensions: (LxWxH) 457x239x33 mm
- Weight: 1626 g
Mouse
- Current Price: 39.99USD (Amazon)
- Sensor: Pixart PWM3389
- DPI: 16,000 Real DPI
- Number of Buttons: 8 (programmable)
- Button Durability: 50M L/R Click
- RGB: 16.8 million colors
Mouse Pad
- Current Price: 29.99 (Amazon)
- RGB: 16.8 million colors
- Top Material: Micro-textured cloth surface
- Bottom Material: Anti-slip rubber base
- Dimensions (LxWxH): 357x256x13 mm
AGK700 Keyboard: Look and Feel
The AGK700 is a beautiful board. Every aspect of the design speaks to quality. Everything from the textured aluminum top finish to the raised beveled logo makes this board look premium. A magnetically attachable leather wrist rest compliments the design pulling the whole look together.
Don’t be deceived though, as there is more to this board than simple looks. It’s sturdy, weighing in at a whopping 1626g. The aluminum casing wraps the top and sides while a durable hard plastic protects the bottom of the board from wear and tear. Even the included back kickstands that are customary on most boards are made of thick plastic with rubber-coated feet. A thick, 1.8m braided cable feeds out the right backside of the board offering lots of cable length to connect to your gaming rig.
Media controls line the top with a large red volume control nub centering the whole keyboard. The left side of the AGK700 features 5 programmable macro buttons that are only illuminated when programmed offering additional functionality to the keyboard. I love the look and feel of this board. It definitely isn’t ideal for gamers on the go but that’s not the point. This board is built for your command center, your gaming rig, or the place you spend the bulk of your time. Visually and structurally it’s one of the nicest keyboards I’ve had on my desk.
Function and Form
Functionally, I like most of what the keyboard has to offer. The detachable leather wrist rest is quite comfortable to use for extended periods of time. It has a slight downward angle away from the board that feels natural while typing and gaming. The magnetic connection points are sturdy as well allowing you to lift the keyboard up and move it without fear of the wrist rest falling off mid-move.
The media controls work exceptionally well. The central volume knob is a great feature that has a satisfyingly tactile response when used. At first, I thought it odd that the mute button was set apart from the rest of the media keys. This, of course, was until my wife was trying to relay a message to me from the other room while I was gaming. Being able to reach to the right side of the keyboard and hit the only available button to mute my system sound makes so much more sense than bunching it with everything else.
My only real critique of the media controls is that things like the browser and media player button can’t be remapped within the included G-Tool software (more on the software later). The buttons are synced to your Windows defaults which is functionally fine but as someone who likes to customize absolutely everything (you should see my audio and stream setups), it was a bit disappointing.
The included macro buttons were a great treat. With multiple programmable profiles available on the AGK700 it’s been great assigning specific macros for games while also assigning regularly used tools like cut, copy and paste for daily use. I also appreciated that each macro button only illuminates when something is assigned to it making it easy for me to remember which buttons I currently have in use.
The Real World Tests
I’ve been using the AGK700 for about two weeks now and have had a chance to put it through its paces. Equipped with Cherry MX blue RGB switches, the 700 offers gamers a much more substantial tactile and audible gaming experience. The clicks are clicky and the switch response is punchy.
Personally, it’s the kind of keys I typically use on a keyboard. Blue switches, like all Cherry MX switches, have their pros and cons. Blues are known for that tactile and audible response that I mentioned. If you’re looking for that kinesthetic response while typing or gaming the Cherry MX Blues won’t steer you wrong.
The cons are that they are arguably a bit slower in regards to typing speed in rapid-fire situations. In the real world, it’s not significant to the point of messing up your k/d ratio in COD (that one is all on you) but it is worth noting.
I did a quick typing test with the AGK700 and compared it to a keyboard with Cherry MX Reds I had here at the office just to see the difference. As a quick note Reds are designed more with speed in mind and are quieter to use overall. My tests revealed two things. First, despite my aging gamer fingers, I’ve still got it when it comes to speed typing. Secondly, and more to the point, the Reds were negligibly faster but not to the point of making me a pro gamer.
For gaming, the Cherry MX Blues felt great to use, with that audible click both satisfying to hear and a notable indication of the keypress. In regards to keystrokes, the Cherry MX Blues responded exceptionally well. They were crisp and accurate and I never missed a keystroke while gaming or working.
The AGK700 also features the N-Key rollover and 100% anti-ghosting. For those that have never heard of these features here’s a quick tutorial. N-Key rollover is designed to make sure that every keystroke is accurately measured and imputed into your computer ensuring that you get the most accurate input response possible. Likewise, anti-ghosting assures that if two or more keys are pressed at the same time each is registered in the order they were imputed accurately.
In practice, it means that you can be assured that every keystroke is registered when you face-roll the keyboard after losing your next Warzone match. I ran the keyboard through several gaming scenarios and was actually quite impressed at how well it handled. In fact, the actual bottleneck was how fast google docs could input the insane amount of button pressing I was doing. Impressively, though the keyboard itself never missed a beat despite the word processor taking a moment to catch up.
The Agon AGK700 also boasts a USB passthrough port on the back of the board. In theory, it would free up a slot on your system and allow more open space on your motherboard. I love the concept as USB ports are always in high demand. However, in the case of the AGK700, this feature is a little limited. The provided port is a USB 2.0 type A port. Other than plugging in a mouse there isn’t a whole lot I would use it for.
Also in order to get function out of the passthrough port, the braided cable actually comes with a split USB connection. This means that you actually need two ports on your motherboard in order to get the full functionality of the AGK 700. Again, it does allow you to plug your mouse into the keyboard effectively reducing the slots needed (from three to two) but honestly, it doesn’t really serve a big purpose.
AGM700 Gaming Mouse: Look and Feel
Moving on to the Agon AGM700 Gaming mouse, I was delighted to see that the aesthetic choices present in the AGK700 keyboard carried over. The same textured look is present on the L/R buttons while rubberized grips accent each side of the mouse. The same braided cabling (albeit a bit thinner) connects the mouse to your gaming rig. An illuminated AGON logo is present palm rest making everything look sharp and neat.
Eight buttons offer lots of features (more on that in a moment) for gamers to work with. I appreciated the Red accents and visual DPI profile indicator present on the mouse as well. As a gamer who regularly switches between new and older games (From Destiny 2 to Diablo 2 for instance), it’s nice to visually see which DPI profile I am in at a glance. Although not wrapped in aluminum like the AGK 700, the AGM 700 still feels sturdy and fits comfortably in my bear paw of a hand.
Function and Form
The AGM 700 has a nice uniform design that works well for a variety of hand sizes. Unlike some mice that have specific finger rests or elaborate curves which can be a blessing or curse depending on your hand, the 700’s profile is a bit more adaptable. In fact, it works well for me as well as my son who has a much smaller hand. The side grips offered a more tactile gripping point and even after hours of gaming still didn’t feel slippery under my now sweaty grip.
Functionally, the AGM offers some nice quality of life features as well. A top button handles DPI cycling while a second top button offers full mode switching on the fly. This essentially allows you to switch between 5 different mouse profiles at any time.
Another helpful feature for shooters specifically is the DPI shift button located on the side of the mouse. It allows you to temporarily cycle to a specific DPI while holding the button. In essence, you can switch from a quicker DPI for run and gun shooting to a slower DPI while zoomed in with a sniper for a headshot. I found it to be exceptionally helpful while playing DOOM Eternal and Destiny 2.
The Real World Tests
The AGM 700 is exceptionally responsive. In fact, I compared it to three other mice I had here at the office and was impressed at how well it performed. The aforementioned features especially helped set it apart from the others during playtests. The AGM also has Omron switches for the L/R buttons with a rating of 50 million clicks. In my testing, I found the button responses were quick and I never ran into any issues with button input lag.
The DPI settings really allowed for a lot of customization. I found the mouse response to be quite crisp. I specifically noted its accuracy while running Heroes of the Storm and Diablo 3 as it was extremely precise on my clicks. This can be attributed to the Pixart 16,000 sensor that is known specifically for its accuracy and precision.
One interesting feature of the AGM 700 that I really appreciated is the built-in weight tuning system. On the base of the mouse is a small door that when opened reveals five weighted disks that can be removed. When I initially read about this I was a bit skeptical of its actual impact on the mouse using experience. After testing it though, I have to admit it’s actually a pretty nice feature to have.
I personally like having a bit of weight on the mouse when gaming. My son however prefers something a bit lighter when he games. We both tested out the mouse and the ability to literally change the weight to fit your preferred style is a nice quality of life feature.
AMM700 Mouse Pad: Look, Feel, Function
I also had the opportunity to use the Agon AMM700 RGB mouse pad while reviewing the keyboard and mouse. It’s a hard surface mouse pad with full 16.8 million RGB colour options and works in tandem with the rest of the Agon series.
The mouse pad has a rubberized bottom that offers extra grip on any surface with a smooth cloth top finish. The RGB lighting occupies the small space between the top and bottom of the pad. Its unassuming look is an interesting contrast to the rest of the 700 series accessories. However, once it’s lit up it looks sharp and in line with the mouse and keyboard. This is accomplished by a braided USB cable that matches the rest of the accessories in the series.
The AMM700 has a fairly large surface area that allows for lots of mouse wandering. In fact, I tend to roll off mouse pads when gaming and never once had that issue while using the AMM700. It works great and looks great. You really can’t ask for more in a mouse pad.
Software
I intentionally left discussion of the software for the Agon 700 series until the end because it deserves some recognition. I’ve worked with a lot of accessory software over the years, and I have to say that the AOC G-Tool software is the best I’ve ever used.
It offers the most robust features and customization I’ve ever seen in a software suite. Each device is instantly recognized when plugged in and switching between devices is a click of a button. The G-Tool is intuitive to use and easy to master. Each device offers its own host of customization options, RGB settings and profile management (yes even the mouse pad).
One of the best features is the Light FX Sync. This little tool allows you to sync some or all of your accessories to the same RGB settings. It’s true that other software can do some or all of this but it’s how simple it is in the G-Tool that sets it apart from the others. Each plugged-in accessory is symbolized by a corresponding icon in the software. Simply click all that you want the settings applied to and hit accept. That’s it. It is simple, streamlined and doesn’t require reading tutorials online.
I was thoroughly impressed with the AOC G-Tools software to the point that I wish every other accessory software was modeled after it. Its easy-to-use interface, robust features set and sync capabilities make it better than most of the software out there.
Final Thoughts
The whole AGON 700 series lineup is excellent. The AGK 700 keyboard is packed to the brim with features, offers a premium build and style, and is exceptionally accurate to use. The AGM Gaming Mouse offers some great quality of life features like DPI shifting and mode switching and incredible precision thanks to the Pixart gaming sensor.
Finally, the G-Tools software ties a nice ribbon on this gaming package with an intuitive interface and a load of options for customization. If you’re in the market for a whole new peripheral setup I recommend considering the AGON 700 series Keyboard, mouse, and mouse pad. Competitively priced, it will be a great addition to your gaming setup.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.