Thermaltake is one of my favorite companies for PC cooling. Over the years, I have used many of their build products, be it a case, fan, or other cooling component; I’ve had the opportunity to use a variety of Thermaltake gear. However, it was only recently that I discovered that they had a whole line peripherals out there for gamers like myself to experience. After thrashing on their Meka Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard for the last week, I have to say that overall Thermaltake has developed a solid gaming board. So grab that coffee, sit back and enjoy this review of the Tt Esports Meka Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by Thermaltake.
SPECS
- MSRP: $89.99
- Dimensions: 449.8 X 142.6 X 37.7 MM
- Color: Black
- Macro Keys: Yes (6)
- Weight: 1200g
- Interface: USB
- Anti-Ghosting Keys: Yes/N-Key Rollover
- Polling Rate: 1000Hz
- Illumination: Full red LED
- Multimedia Keys: Yes (7)
- Cable Length: 1.8M
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The first thing that can be said about the Meka Pro is that it is a solid build. It’s heavy, it feels solid and offers some great features for gamers and everyday professionals. Equipped with Cherry MX Blue keys, keystrokes have a tactile click when pressed and are quick to respond upon contact under the finger due to their 55g of actuation force. Though heavier than, say, Cherry red or brown switches, blue are still what we would consider a medium-lightweight switch. Since these are Cherry, you can also be confident that the consistency is good across the board with none of the variance sometimes seen in clone keyswitches. They are also
The top plate is a metal, offering a level of solidity not found in plastic boards. Its black finish offers a beautiful backdrop to the red illuminated keys. This board looks mean and beside my other RGB peripherals adds to my theme, even with the single color backlight. The Meka Pro also features a number of preset lighting effects, including your usual ripple and pulse/breathe. It looks good, but if you’d rather have no lighting at all, you can simply turn it off.
The keyboard also comes equipped with four pre-configured lighting modes based on your preferred genre of game. A quick flip of the function key + Pause Break key allow you to switch modes between RTS, MMO, FPS, and MOBA, illuminating the keys most important to that genre. It’s great for when you’re playing with the lights low and only need to see those core keys. Along with pre-programed lighting modes and layouts comes the on-the-fly macro programming.
On the upper right corner of the board is a macro key that, once pressed, allows you to assign a macro command to another button on the board. I spent some time getting my head around the whole system and after a bit of trial and error (thankfully the board comes with a macro reset function key) was macroing to my heart's content. It’s a basic but functional system that allows for quick configuring without a lot of menu jumping or cumbersome software to manage.
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I spent some time testing the anti-ghosting functionality and was pleased with the results. More than once while playing Overwatch, Doom and even HOTS I was mashing multiple keys on the board and not once did I run into any issues. Thermaltake has done a great job implementing its anti-ghosting tech into the Meka Pro and as a gamer it’s always appreciated when a board isn’t a bottleneck to my gaming (I leave the bottle necking to my skill level!).
The features it offers, namely the pre-programmed lighting modes and the macro programming, are designed to be done on a hardware level, which is really at the heart of the Meka Pro. The lack of software reduces the time required to get up and playing. Other operations are also software-less. You can lock the windows key and have your windows shortcut functionality all on the function layer. Want to open your email? Function + F9 does that. Need to mute the sound in a hurry? Function + F5 has you covered. These are great options to have in a keyboard, and for those that hate to spend hours fiddling with software and programming this is an exceptional board.
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Yet, what some see as its greatest strength others will see as its greatest weakness. This is a “what you see is what you get” board. It comes with a standard red backlight. You won’t find the 16.8 million color options here. There is no software that allows you to customize each keystroke with its own unique color and animation. Outside of the macro programming, it doesn’t offer a whole lot for customization. For those that really like to tweak every aspect of your keyboard, you may want to consider tT eSport’s Poseidon Z, which comes with the RGB lighting and full software suite (but shifts from Cherry to in-house switches) for only $10 more. What it does, it does exceptionally well, but you should know what you’re getting into.
Final Thoughts
The Tt eSports Meka Pro is a solid board that offers some great features, all right onboard. The preset backlighting, macro programming, superb anti-ghosting, and most of all price make the Meka one of the better plug-and-play boards on the market at the moment. If you’re looking for a solid mechanical keyboard under $100 and don’t want to buy into the RGB craze, the Meka Pro from tT eSports should definitely be on your radar.
Pros
- Durable build quality
- Bright lighting with multiple preset modes and effects
- Easy onboard macro programming
- Genuine Cherry switches
- That price!
Cons
- No software suite = limited customization
The product discussed in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purposes of review.
