Patriot Memory has been around for years giving us products ranging from various forms of memory to mobile accessories. Now, they've decided to enter into the peripherals realm focused on gamers like us. Didn't know? Don't worry! To be honest, I didn't know either. It's so easy for these companies to get lost the rigmarole because companies like Razer, Steelseries, Logitech, and Corsair, have been in it for longer and have made sure to get them name out. That doesn't mean that their product should be overlooked. Today, we're going to talk about the Viper Gaming Keyboard V770; an RGB keyboard that stands up to everything in the market now, with a little more flair.
The Viper Gaming Keyboard V770 features all of the stuff that we've become accustomed to when it comes to gaming keyboards:
- Full Spectrum RGB on individually customization backlit keys.
- 109 Key Rollover Anti-Ghosting
- Programmable Macro Keys
- USB/Audio Pass Through
- Lighting Profile Keys (5 of them)
- Braided cable
- Mechanical switches with a lifespan of 50,000,000 cycles.
- Multi-Level lighting (controls on keyboard and in software)
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Additional Features:
- Aircraft Grade Aluminum Chassis
- Dedicated Light Control Keys to change colors and modes on the keyboard without having to have the software installed on your computer.
- Dedicated multimedia keys & volume/mute wheel
- Red Kailh Switches (Linear)
- RGB on the sides of the keyboard
- RGB on the wrist rest
- Removable/Magnetic wrist wrist
- Pull out tray to hold your phone
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Over the course of two weeks, I used this keyboard for 8+ hours a day at my day job, as well as for gaming at home. I have to say, these are some of the nicest switches I've ever used. Comparable to Cherry MX Red's, the V770 has Kailh Red/Linear switches that don't have that tactile feel of Blue/Browns. We'll get to the technical spec later. Unlike Razer, and like Corsair, the V770 has whole key illumination. What I mean by that, is it has the light all around the switch, instead of just the light at the top. This matters for two reasons: 1) brighter and nicer looking transitions; and, 2) whole key cap illumination. A big pet peeve of mine is when key caps don't have the “secondary” option lit up. I mean, come on. Manufacturers are already making their own key caps. How hard is it to keep that clear/see-through design on the secondary keys? I may type 113 words per minute, but I still get messed up on where the $ and % keys are. This solves that issue.
Like I said, I did a majority of my testing at work, because I knew I was going to be typing all day. What better place to test a keyboard than a place where you're going to use every key at some point throughout the course of one day? The aluminum chassis keeps off fingerprints and looks great on your home desk, or even your desk at work. The USB/Audio pass through are good when you have to plug in a thumb drive to take some work home/transfer it to someone's computer. The 3.5mm jack is a single triple pole jack, so your earbuds that have the mic built in, will work perfectly.
Ergonomically and aesthetically, this is a very pleasing keyboard. The RGB on the sides is a nice subtle touch. The pass throughs help when your computer is on the ground, or you're stuck on a laptop with a keyboard plugged in. Now you don't have to worry about cords all across your desk making it a pain to write on. Something that is always misplaced, in my opinion, is that USB pass through. On a majority of keyboards, it's on the right hand side. For a majority of gamers/people, they have their mouse on the right hand side. If you plan on using the keyboard port for your mouse, you've added a few extra inches because of the connector sticking out, and you have cable in the way now. On the V770, they've moved the USB port to the left side of the keyboard, eliminating that issue! It's a small thing, but I'm so glad someone has finally done it.
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The frame is “open”. By that, I mean that it's not fully enclosed like the Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2, Roccat Ryos, or Logitech G series of keyboards. The keys have air underneath them to allow for the light to come out, and to make it easier for getting those pesky crumbs and cat hairs out. Think Corsair K95 or the Razer Blackwidow X tournament.
On the left side you have five dedicated macro keys. Program any number of key presses to be executed with one simple key press. There are also five user profiles that you can save your personal preferences if the built in 10 lighting effects aren't what you're looking for. The presets are: the wave, ripple after you hit a key, snake, circles, pulsing through colors, random colors going on and off all over the keyboard, and a static color. Within the software, you can set each key to exactly what you like. You can then save up to five presets that you like the most and set them to Fn 1 - Fn 5.
As far as the technical specs go:
- Operating Lifespan: 50,000,000 cycles
- Shorter actuation point
- Pre-Travel 2.0 +/- 0.6mm
- Total Travel: 4.0mm
- Operating force: 50 +/- 15gf
- Dimensions: 51x20x7.2 cm
- Keyboard Weight: 4.5 lb
The Viper V770 Mechanical RGB Keyboard comes in at $139.99. A very good price for a keyboard of this caliber. If you're looking for a keyboard upgrade for work or home, this is a great one to look into. The switches are perfect for gaming and typing, it has plenty of features to keep up with your needs, it's sturdy design will keep up for travel, and it's at a price cheaper than the big boys. Don't forget about the “minor” companies when it comes to peripherals. They could surprise you; I know this one did!
This product was provided by Patriot Memory for the purposes of review.
