KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
The MSI GK80 is a challenging product. It is by far the best keyboard we've seen from MSI, but the company is not competing against itself. This price point puts it up against some of the best/most popular gaming keyboard products in the world – from companies like Razer, HyperX and Corsair.
It represents a complete change in design and function from the GK40, with more advanced features like the detachable wrist rest, multiple keycap options and pre-defined keys that allow you to control your MSI graphics card and motherboard directly from the keyboard.
It is also good to have dedicated media keys, though it would have been nice to see a volume wheel included instead of two volume up/down buttons. Having a USB pass-through port is also useful for connecting your mouse or headset.
Mystic light is quite a fiddly piece of software but, when you finally wrestle it into submission, it does allow for some pretty nifty RGB effects. However, you can actually do away with the software altogether and control the RGB effects using key combinations for speed/simplicity.
If I'm spending £160 on a keyboard, then I want some dedicated macro keys. I don't need a dozen, 6 will do, but I want that flexibility to optimise my set up for my favourite games – without needing to move my left hand very far from the WASD zone.
This keyboard is available with Red (linear) or Silver (fast actuation) Cherry switches. With a cheaper keyboard, you could understand the limited choice, but at this price, it would be nice to have all options available – including Blue (clicky, tactile) and Brown (non-clicky, tactile). Whether MSI chose Red and Silver because they are popular or simply because it matches their logo, we don't really know.
The GK80 has an ‘ultimate' price tag, but has MSI succeeded in creating an ultimate keyboard? Largely, I'd have to say yes. Build quality is great, the option to swap selected keys out helps give you a bespoke feel in your favourite games and if you're an MSI fan, then you can control your PC's performance from the keyboard itself.
Ultimately, if you had to pick a weakness for this keyboard, then you have to say that it is not 100% perfect and it is expensive. The feature set doesn't quite justify the £160 price tag, but it's still a great keyboard. It could be a must buy for MSI fans, but it's a worth buying for the rest of us.
You can buy one for £159.95 from Overclockers UK HERE.
Pros
- Clean, clear RGB lighting has been implemented well.
- Great build quality.
- Alternative finish keycaps for important keys.
- Easily integrates with MSI components.
Cons
- Software needs some work.
- The price is high.
KitGuru says: With so many good keyboards under £100 and many gaming peripheral companies offering ‘flagship' products close to £150, the GK80 stands out as expensive at £160. If MSI managed to get the price closer to £100, then it would have a killer product on its hands. One thing is for certain, MSI has built our appetite to see what they have next in the pipeline.
