HyperX Alloy FPS Pro Keyboard Review: Basic, Compact, Functional
Retail Price: $69.99
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Before this review, I had never encountered HyperX as a brand, so I didn’t know what to expect. It seems that HyperX is well-known for their gaming headsets and are on their way to becoming one of Razer and Corsair’s major competitors for keyboards, too. I’ve tried both a Razer keyboard and a Corsair keyboard, so let’s see how this tenkeyless HyperX Alloy FPS Pro mechanical gaming keyboard stacks up.
Features Overview +
- Tenkeyless design
- CHERRY MX blue switches (red switches also available)
- Detachable cable (USB A to USB mini-b)
- Game Mode, 100-percent anti-ghosting, and N-key rollover functions
- Red backlighting with six lighting effects
- Solid steel frame
Look and Feel
If you like the color red, then you’ll probably love this keyboard. I usually prefer RGB because I love being able to customize the backlights, but I still think the Alloy FPS Pro is nice enough to look at. The red lights are bright and really pop through the black keycaps. I also love how the logo is printed on the spacebar; it looks great with the red backlight. The edges on the base of the keyboard are somewhat curved which provides a sleek look. Though I do wish it was RGB, the Alloy FPS Pro still has that snazzy “I’m a gaming keyboard” vibe. There are six lighting effects: solid, breathing, wave, light up upon press, wave from press, and gaming (wasd, 1234, ctrl, and spacebar lit). I mostly just use the solid backlight as the others don’t appeal to me all that much.
The keycaps are soft without being slippery or rubbery and are pleasant to the touch, but they’ve got nothing on the luxurious feeling of the somewhat textured keycaps on the Razer boards I’ve used. They’re probably more comparable to the keycaps on the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile Keyboard. This board can come with either red or blue switches, and I have the blue. As such, there is a lot of tactile feedback. There is no other way to describe this keyboard aside from “bouncy.” Switching to this after using the Corsair K70 was a bit of a shock. I’m totally here for obnoxiously clicky switches, but at first, I struggled a bit with the bounciness of the keys. HyperX does not provide any information on their website about actuation force, but I can only assume this board requires more force to fire the keys than the Corsair did. When I first switched, I was missing letters here and there because I just wasn’t pressing hard enough. After getting used to it, I no longer have that problem, and I’m not feeling especially strained by typing either. Still, it may be worth mentioning that it feels like it takes more force to get a key to fire here than on the keyboards I tried from Razer and Corsair.
Gaming
This keyboard markets itself to FPS gamers, which is not me. I typically play MMOs, though I occasionally will play single-player games (recently started The Witcher 2) and do enjoy some Genshin Impact from time to time. Despite not playing any first-person shooters, I actually felt that this board suited my needs pretty well.
If I were still playing Tera, I would probably dislike the lack of a number pad on this tenkeyless model. However, I don’t use the number pad on the games I’m currently playing (mostly FFXIV), so I love the size of this. It’s a bit smaller than a full-size so it doesn’t take up too much space on my desk, but it still has the functionality that 60% keyboards lack (talking about you and your missing F row, Razer Huntsman Mini). I have a small desk, so while I enjoy full-size keyboards, it can be irritating when I’m trying to move out of an attack and my mouse hits the side of my board. With a full-size, I certainly have to be more conscious of where my mouse is so that I don’t run out of space.
In terms of gaming keyboards, this one is pretty basic. It is mechanical so it’ll respond faster than a membrane keyboard, but it doesn’t have any special functions like onboard memory or macro capabilities. I hardly use these things, so this doesn’t bother me. The Alloy FPS Pro does, however, have anti-ghosting technology, N-key rollover, and a gaming mode. There’s no info on the listing about what all the gaming mode does, but I can tell you that it locks your Windows key so pressing it during gaming won’t bring up the windows menu and interrupt gameplay. Just like the other keyboards I’ve tried, I haven’t had any issues with ghosting or lag. When I press a key, it fires. The HyperX FPS Alloy Pro has brought me safely through possibly the hardest content in all of FFXIV: “Leap of Faith.”
Value for the Price
While this is a solid board for gaming, I do feel that at its $69.99 list price, it may be a tad overpriced. You can find Razer keyboards on sale on Amazon for a similar price that have all the same features — clicky mechanical switches, anti-ghosting, N-key rollover — but also have RGB, macro capabilities, and onboard memory. That said, it is a bit harder to find a tenkeyless model from a top competitor with all these features at a comparable price. Perhaps tenkeyless models are still considered somewhat of a specialty item and that’s why the price is a bit high.
Maybe I’m being silly and functionality has nothing to do with it; maybe the price is what it is because of the materials used, like the solid steel frame. Though I like this keyboard, I would probably spend my $70 on the Razer BlackWidow that’s currently on Amazon for the same price because it has more features for the price (and beautiful RGB). When it comes down to it, I would rather have RGB than a steel frame. I’m not sure how someone would break a keyboard frame, plastic or steel, but maybe FPS gamers are a lot wilder than I imagine.
Final Thoughts
I think this is a great board for FPS gamers and casual gamers alike. If you need more space on your desk but a 60% keyboard is too small for you, a tenkeyless like this might be perfect. Similarly, if you’re looking for a basic mechanical keyboard and you don’t need macro capabilities or onboard memory, then this HyperX FPS Alloy Pro could be a good choice. While I do feel it is a tad overpriced, it isn’t crazily so since it is a decent board from a well-known brand. Maybe you can get lucky and find it on sale — then it would totally be worth the money.
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Seri
A writer by day and gamer by night, Seri’s most prized possession is her computer. In fact, she built her desktop PC herself and repaired her college laptop with nothing but Google, Reddit, and determination to guide her. This do-it-yourself attitude was born from frugalness, so if you see Seri raving about something, it’s probably worth the price.