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Cougar instruct us to visit their website to download the UIX System software. This is a small package and the download and installation process is quick and straightforward. The software package lets us create three different ‘modes' which are essentially profiles with different configuration options. These can be switched on the fly using the three buttons in the top left corner of the keyboard.
The main page of the software lets us configure all of the performance related options of the keyboard. These include polling rate, N-key rollover controls, repeat rate delay, repeat rate acceleration and backlight mode. The backlight mode lets us configure the sleep state of the backlight which can be set to a variety of effects or be disabled altogether. This area also lets us set the amount of time before the backlight enters sleep mode.
The second page of the software lets us configure the macro functionality of the keyboard. This area of the software lets us select from a variety of different macro functions for all of the keys on the keyboard if desired, not just the dedicated macro keys. The software also lets us configure our own macros using different key combinations.
On the third and final page of the software we find all of the different lighting controls that are available on this keyboard. Even though we are restricted to orange for the backlight colour, we are able to configure each key's backlight independently. We can also configure a number of predefined lighting effects like breathing or disabling the backlighting altogether.
In terms of performance the Cougar is quite impressive. That said, we have yet to find a keyboard featuring Cheerry MX switches that does not impress from a raw performance perspective. Our sample of the 700K features Cherry MX Red switches although other colours are available depending on your preference.
Each type of Cherry MX switch has a different feel and action. Black switches and the Red switches found on our test sample do not offer tactile feedback like blue and brown switches. These have a distinct click when they are depressed. The difference between Black and Red switches is similar to the difference between Brown and Blue switches, with the former of both groups having a heavier action, requiring more force to depress.
There is not really a superior colour of Cherry MX switch, as all offer very similar performance characteristics – it is much more down to personal preference. The Red flavour in our test sample is my preferred, offering a smooth action without requiring much effort to depress. We would definitely recommend trying all the different types of switch available before making a purchase if at all possible.
When gaming, we found the macro keys to be well placed for rapid access, although we are skeptical at the split design of the spacebar which has been separated out to add an extra macro key. As standard, both sides of this act as a spacebar but it takes some getting used to when typing.
