Gigabyte Aivia Osmium

[DevanArianne]

So I bought the Gigabyte Osmium through Amazon about six months ago for 106.99 USD, and typically retails around 129.99 USD. It was my first jump from membrane to mechanical. 

I wont be able to compare it much to other mechanical keyboards so sorry if that's what you're looking for. With that said let's get started.

 

First off we'll go over the specs of the Osmium (Ossie as I call mine)

Full Keyboard with Number Pad.

5 Programmable G Keys with Gigabyte's Ghost Software With 5 Different Profiles (Totaling 25 Different G-Keys)

Blue LED Backlighting

2 Rolling Sliders for LED Brightness and Sound

Cherry MX Red or Brown Switches

Laser Etched Keys.

Removable Arm Rest.

 

So I got the Gigabyte Osmium with red switches.  Before I used a cheap 10$ Logitech Keyboard. At firs tI didn't know if I liked the red switches. It was very much an adjustment. After about six months I do like the change. It's very nice for gaming and typing essays for class. It's a very premium feeling over normal membrane keys and that's probably the best part. A lot of membrane keys to me (especially on laptops) felt flimsy and very vulnerable. It felt like I was always waiting for a key to die and then I'd go grab another cheap keyboard and go back.  The mechanical keys feel very strong and sturdy and that the "50 Million" key presses Gigabyte boasts about them is very feasible. One downside I've noticed is that proper posture when typing on it is almost necessity. If I'm typing a long essay (Or review) I find my arms and hands getting tired. Since the key presses require a lot more force than a typical membrane key I find my wrist and elbows becoming sore after long typing sessions unless I sit up straight and support my arms on the rests of my cheap office chair. This could also be seen as a good thing, posture is important. For gaming and general communication this isn't really a problem. The relative small area of use in gaming (WASD, 1-5, and the 5 G keys for me usually) and the frequent pauses associated with instant messaging keeps my arms from getting tired in more laid back, relaxed positions.

 

The Osmium itself seems to have excellent build quality, this thing is HEAVY. It's definitely not a mobile "Get Up and Go" keyboard like the CM Storm Quickfire. Which is nice as I hate keyboards that slip and slide around. Once you plant this baby down, it ain't moving as long as you keep the rubbed feet clean. It's all plastic, but the plastic seems very strong, There's very little bed and give to it, and there's no spot where it feels vulnerable. I've considered that if it ever died to just keep it and use it as a hammer. There is and issue with the plastic feet. Since they are folding, if you push the keyboard away, the locking mechanism isn't strong enough to hold them in place due to how well the rubber feet grip. Sometimes when I find myself typing or in a really intense game session I'll find that the stand in the bottom left will give way and the keyboard will wobble. Needless to say in the middle of a game it's extremely frustrating to lift up the keyboard, find the stand and flip it back into place, and more than a few times it's cause my death.

 

The backlighting on the keyboard is very strong. I don't mean strong as in it's bright though. The adjustable wheel on the keyboard lets adjust the brightness to full blast, where even in a bright well lit room, every key is clear, all the way down to a very subtle glow that still helps in mild daylight and works great in dark night rooms to now blind you and with a press of the scroll wheel, you can completely shut it off. I like that the boarding plastic and close spacing of the keeps the lighting from spilling out and making the keyboard glow too much. It's easy to see each key individually, while on some other keyboards I've noticed that the entire keyboard seems to glow. The G-Keys can be programmed using the Aivia Ghost software. You also have a button in the top right to change to one of 5 profiles. The Aivia logo glows 1 of 5 colors Depending on what profile you're on. (B;ue, green, red, pink, and cyan.) I personally never use macros, so I can't testify to how good the software is, but it seems fairly nice. I really don't like the Aivia logo button. I often have to either press it in a certain spot on tap it a few times to get it to change profiles. Not much a problem for me as the profiles only change the G-Keys, but for someone who does use more macros I can understand how it could be a problem.

 

There is also 3.5mm jack on the right side of the keyboard for headphones and mic, and one full powered USB 3.0 port on the right side as well. There's another USB 2.0 port on the side under the Aivia logo. Also before you worry about the 3.5 mm jacks just being a cheap 3.5mm to USB adapter, the end of the THICK, fully braided cable splits into two fully braided gold plated 3.5mm cables and two fully braided gold plated USB cables, one 3.0 and one 2.0. Power and interface for the keyboard runs over the USB 2.0 connector, and that's the only one you NEED plugged in to get full keyboard functionality, but if you want to use the 3.0 and audio jacks you will need to plug those in as well. A nice feature in my opinion.

 

The wrist rest I used for about... 3 minutes before taking it off and throwing it into the corner. For all the build quality the actual keyboard has, the wrist rest has none. It's hollow, cheap, thin, textured plastic. It doesn't bow or bend when you rest you wrists on it, but it does not feel sturdy in the slightest. By far it is the biggest disappointment and feels like it was added just to tick a box in the "features" section. The thing is also HUGE, like nearly 4-5 inches in width huge. I had a much more enjoyable time without the rest than with. 

 

The box the keyboard comes in massive. Lots of soft foam to protect is. Even the 4 extra stylized keys are depressed into the plastic. Very nice packaging. The keyboard comes with 4 stylized keys, the Aivia symbol, a fireball, lightning bolt, and a shield, a long with a plastic key puller.

 

Over all I would give the keyboard a 95% positive rating. I feel I made an excellent choice with my first mechanical, and the build quality assures me that it will be sticking with me for a LONG time. The problems I have with it are very minor, and not anywhere significant enough to absolutely ruin my experience of the keyboard. I can safely say, I'm never going back to membrane again.

Thank you everyone for reading. Any other questions you have, I'd be happy to answer.

[SirRoderick]

Excellent overview and opinion, have to say. Not just giving scores but actually listing pros, cons and notable points of any nature so I can decide for myself

[GriggsCK]

"the wrist rest has none. It's hollow, cheap, thin, textured plastic"
It's that bad? I need a keyboard with wrist rest at the future, this keyboard is in one of my consideration. 

[DevanArianne]

"the wrist rest has none. It's hollow, cheap, thin, textured plastic"

It's that bad? I need a keyboard with wrist rest at the future, this keyboard is in one of my consideration. 

The wrist rest is really mediocre at best. I'll take some pictures later today and add them tot he post for you. It's made out of a hard plastic, so it's not that comfortable to rest your arms on, but if all you need it for is keeping them properly elevated, it does the job. I'd personally recommend getting a cheap gel wrist bump that you can put just below the keyboard. I've had a few of those and and they keep your wrist elevated nice and provide some nice comfort.

[0s4x]

I have personally just gotten rid of my Ossie for a Logitech G710+, I found that with reds I was double tapping like crazy. Agree with you 100% on the lack of sturdiness in the feet locking mechanism, though I combated this and the poor wrist rest by super gluing them in place. That fixed them completely IMO. Overall, for me the brown version of this board would be my ideal choice, with the "mods" to the feet and wrist rest. 

[DevanArianne]

Okay, I need to amend my review with a few things. I can no longer honestly recommend this keyboard. The flaws stated in my original post and not the absolutely horrendous QC from Gigabyte have ruinned anything good I could say about this keyboard.

 

Shortly (about 2 weeks) after finishing the review, the keyboard I purchased shorted out. The top right under the LED started giving off smoke and a burnt plastic smell and the keyboard no longer functioned at all. So I RMA'd it. Being a techie, we all know this is just something you have to go through.  Cost $15.00 to send it back to Gigabyte. Gigabyte does not reimburse you for this either. I hate companies that do this. It's punishing the consumer for their product failing. The RMA process was fairly simple but it took forever to get through it an get a new board. Nearly 2 months. That board lasted less than a week before it just stopped being recognized by any computers. The volume rocked would work, but the LED rocker and keys no longer functioned. RMA'd again. Another $15.

 

So on my third board now and while this one "functions" it's clearly not up to the standard of quality you'd expect from a company as large as Gigabyte. Notw the LEDs will not turn off all the way most of the time and when they do, they flash to the lowest setting. It certainly works, and functions, but it's not up to proper quality standards. I've lost all faith in this keyboard, and it I RMA it again, I'm asking for a refund and spending my money elsewhere.