iBuypower, Gamdias, And The TTC Switches Inside The MEK Keyboard

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alextheblue

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Speaking of subtle digs...

"It's a bold move that guarantees criticism from knee-jerk commenters. "Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!" would no doubt be the refrain."

Ahem. Well the Gamdias with TTC are too close in price to Cherry-equipped boards for my taste, and at that point I could justify buying Cherry just to spite Gamdia for their markup alone, let alone personal preference or other factors. But the iBuypower unit at $55 is worth considering as an entry-level mechanical. HOWEVER, they don't have a model with Browns, in fact it looks like the MEK is only offered in Reds? So it's not for me. Still, good price. Might be a good deal for those who want Reds and are looking for something inexpensive.
 

beoza

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For that price it's worth a shot I guess. I'm on a dome switch playing mmo's, macro key's are worth more to me that mech switches...But I am curious as to all the hype.
If you need macro keys and also want a mech keyboard Logitech makes some like the G710/710+ with cherry mx switches and the G910 Orion Spark with ROMER-G switches. You can find similar keyboards for the same prices as these out there. I have a Corsair K70 with cherry mx reds and I love the feel of the keys, I can play a lot longer and my wrists don't tend to ache (Carpal tunnel syndrome sucks) like they did with my old rubber dome KB. Once you try a mech keyboard you'll love them and won't want to switch back. They cost more but are well worth the price, you can find them without the 10-key as well if you don't use it.
 
Hmm, I was looking at the Corsair, but sadly it doesn't have the side row of macro keys, left of WASD. Those are a killer feature as I play FF14 and it has a little skill bloat if you know what I mean. I just wanted to try a low cost unit and see how the typing is, I love my Steelseries but I type like a 3 year old on it ;)
 

beoza

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Yup know all about the skill bloat thing, I've played FF14, was a long time WoW player before getting bored and moving on to other games. I'm sure someone here knows of better solutions that what I listed. My k70 doesn't have any macro keys, but it's helped my wrists and made long gaming sessions more enjoyable. Some stores have demo units setup where you can try them and see how they feel but unfortunately they only true was to see how they feel is to actually use them while playing a game. And the only keyboard I've actually seen that has more than 6 macro keys is the K90/95 (18 macro keys) but this kb is about 3-4" longer than standard keyboards.
 
I don't know if it will be the case with this keyboard from ibuypower but every now and then there's a good deal. I've been pleasantly surprised rolling the dice now and then and going with unheard of components. Most of the time you end up getting what you expected but on occasion you come across a gem.

Bought a mouse as a cheap replacement, I think it was originally $20 something and found it on sale for $14. Since then the brand (not ibuypower) has become a little more popular and their mice have gone up to the $50-70 range. Oddly enough it's been one of if not the best mouse I've owned.

Competition in general is a good thing. Even if some mechanical switches end up being cheap knockoffs some good ones may very well surface. Not only will they keep companies like cherry on their toes a bit more, if cherry's mx switches maintain quality I think eventually competitive quality will rise to meet it.

For years Noctua had hands down the best fans in terms of performance and quality and there was a large step down to many inexpensive fans. The past several years have seen new fan companies join the competition and some older brands stepping up their game. Noctua still makes excellent fans but the overall quality among other choices seems to have greatly improved and now there are multiple high quality choices out there.
 

rpjkw11

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At $54, I'll bite! My Ducky Shine III was more than twice the price. This will solve another problem: My wife hogs my rig because she likes a mechanical keyboard, so now she can have her own. Neither of us are gamers, so this one should do quite well.
 


You are looking at the wrong one. The K95 is the MMO Corsair keyboard. I have one and it has 3 rows of 6 G keys with 3 macro presets so in all 54 possible macros.

 

Blaise170

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The price of this is too close to others to really be a big deal. TTC switches are, in my experience, not very good as they are inconsistent and the longevity has yet to be seen. I'd much prefer Gateron or Kailh to TTC. Yellow switches are actually not that uncommon among non-Cherry switches. Kailh began with Yellows although they have been discontinued. They are slightly lighter than Reds by about 10gF.

Also, Cherry had MX Yellows at one point although they are extremely rare. I have one in my collection and it feels stiff and slightly crunchy.
 

scolaner

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I haven't spent enough time with it yet to say much of anything about that, honestly. But my initial impression is that they sound a tiny bit less clicky than Cherry Reds. I know, reds aren't clicky, but the TTC switches seem to have a slightly duller sound. I think...it could also just be the design of the keyboards affecting the sound. :)
 

scolaner

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Thanks for that--very interesting. What have you used that comes equipped with TTC switches? I'll have to be on the lookout for any consistency issues.
 
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