A Speedy Review of the Steelseries Apex [RAW]

[Funkymonk]

Hello friend! Today i'm here to tell you my thoughts on the Steelseries Apex [RAW] Wired Membrane Keyboard. It was purchased from Aria PC for £29.99 + Delivery. Here are some of the main features of the Keyboard:

 

Brilliant White LED Backlighting with 8 Levels of intensity

34 Possible macros on 17 keys with two layers

Superior anti ghosting with 20 frequent gaming keys designed for up to 6 simultaneous keypresses

Intergrated media keys that control music playback, volume adjustment and backlight brightness

Support for Steelseries engine

RRP: £60.89/$69.99/€69.99

 

Being my first gaming oriented keyboard, I was pretty easy to impress coming from a £5 Tesco Value keyboard to this. The macro keys are not really something that I plan on using, they are a nice thing to have. I like the addition of the diagonal arrow keys as well as the oversized spacebar, and the media keys are a nice touch. Also, one of the main selling points for me was the large wrist rest which is very, very comfy. However, the fact that you have to hold down the Steelseries button on the keyboard to use the media keys is a bit of a nuisance. The backlighting is not highly noticeable unless you are using it in the dark. Also the cable is not braided which I don't really like.

 

This keyboard is well worth the £30 price tag on Aria PC but I think that the £60 RRP is a bit of a stretch for what it is. Here are some similarly priced keyboards from other manufacturers. 

 

Corsair Raptor LK1

Razer Deathstalker Essential

Roccat Arvo

 

Although the Steelseries Apex [RAW] is the only keyboard that I have had experience out of these four, the Apex [RAW] looks to me to be the best as it has the perfect balance of features to price. I would expect the Razer keyboard to be the best quality keyboard, becuase to quote Linus: "They're (Razer) kind of like the Apple of PC to me." The Corsair offering is the Cheapest at £30 RRP, but the price reflects the features and most likely the build quality.

 

So in summary..

 

Pros:
Plenty of macro keys

Additional Keys

Lovley Wrist Rest

 

Cons:

Backlighting is not spectacular

Non braided cable

Inconvenient media key operation

 

Overall: 7/10

A great piece of hardware, but it could use some improvments. 

[Osmium]

Good concise review. 

[dragosudeki]

Was it worth the price? Maybe include that

[Funkymonk]

Good concise review. 

Thank you for the feedback!

 

Was it worth the price? Maybe include that

Hehe, I forgot that. Thanks for reminding me!