Hello all!
Today I will be doing my first product review.
The A4Tech (www.a4tech.com/) G800V Keyboard. It is a part of their X7 Gaming Devices line.
I recently purchased this keyboard from a sale at Newegg. It was delivered fast as always.
LOOK:
The G800V sports a black and grey paint job with a built in palm rest. It has 8 rubberized key caps (WASD, Arroy Keys.) There are a total of 15 Macro Keys and Media Control Keys as well.
It sports a Mode Key and a key to turn the Windows Key On and Off. However this part of the keyboard feels very cheap as it has a sticker with a very small "bump" of a key and spoils the overall aesthetics somewhat. Also the Right Shift key sits much lower than the rest of the keys and that looks somewhat odd as well.
Also, as seen in the picture, the G6 key sits somewhat higher than the rest of the keys. I do however like the fact that they haven't shortened the Backspace key. Interestingly there is no "G8" key. They skip over it from G7 to G9 and that is a little odd.
Looks: 6/10
FEEL:
I personally prefer a more "clickey" feel to keys whereas the G800V sports a very soft click. It is not a negative feature just more of a observation. If you like soft click you will enjoy it. The keys G1 through G4 actuate with much more force than the rest of the keyboard and I actually like it. The Rubber keys feel very good to touch and give a good grip.
Feel: 6/10
SOFTWARE:
The software is quite easy to understand and operate (though I haven't delved much in to Macro Settings.) and it also let's you download custom macros for some games (Most notably Counter Strike.)
Software: 7/10
LONG TERM USAGE:
This is where I feel I cannot give high scores to this keyboard. After about a month of using it, I have started noticing some small things.
I press the 2 and 3 key with my middle finger and as you can see they have started slanting. They 2 Key is slanting more to the left while the 3 Key more to the right.
Similar deal with the Left Ctrl Key. I don't use it as much but it has started sitting askew as well. The F Key as well is now sitting at a lower place than the rest of the keys surrounding it.
It seems like the most often used keys are sitting lower as compared to other keys and this is somewhat disconcerting. I feel like this keyboard will not last as long as it should. Also for being a "Gaming" Keyboard it should outlast my budget keyboard which was basically a $4 keyboard and it is still serving me great after 4 years of heavy use.
Also when you tap the keyboard, some of the keys jiggle. All of this combined makes me feel like this keyboard will not last too long.
LTU: 4/10
CONCLUSION:
I had high hopes for this keyboard when I un-boxed it. However over time, I feel less and less pleased with my buy and were it not for the sale, I would not recommend anyone else buying it. The options are good, the software pretty easy to use however, I am less than pleased with the rest of the things. Specially the price point at which it is sitting (US$ 59.99 on NewEgg) it competing against Thermaltake, ROCCAT, SteelSeries and that is a challenge it is definitely losing.
Final Score: 23/40
Today I will be doing my first product review.
The A4Tech (www.a4tech.com/) G800V Keyboard. It is a part of their X7 Gaming Devices line.
I recently purchased this keyboard from a sale at Newegg. It was delivered fast as always.
LOOK:
The G800V sports a black and grey paint job with a built in palm rest. It has 8 rubberized key caps (WASD, Arroy Keys.) There are a total of 15 Macro Keys and Media Control Keys as well.
It sports a Mode Key and a key to turn the Windows Key On and Off. However this part of the keyboard feels very cheap as it has a sticker with a very small "bump" of a key and spoils the overall aesthetics somewhat. Also the Right Shift key sits much lower than the rest of the keys and that looks somewhat odd as well.
Also, as seen in the picture, the G6 key sits somewhat higher than the rest of the keys. I do however like the fact that they haven't shortened the Backspace key. Interestingly there is no "G8" key. They skip over it from G7 to G9 and that is a little odd.
Looks: 6/10
FEEL:
I personally prefer a more "clickey" feel to keys whereas the G800V sports a very soft click. It is not a negative feature just more of a observation. If you like soft click you will enjoy it. The keys G1 through G4 actuate with much more force than the rest of the keyboard and I actually like it. The Rubber keys feel very good to touch and give a good grip.
Feel: 6/10
SOFTWARE:
The software is quite easy to understand and operate (though I haven't delved much in to Macro Settings.) and it also let's you download custom macros for some games (Most notably Counter Strike.)
Software: 7/10
LONG TERM USAGE:
This is where I feel I cannot give high scores to this keyboard. After about a month of using it, I have started noticing some small things.
 |
| Look at the 2 & 3 Keys |
I press the 2 and 3 key with my middle finger and as you can see they have started slanting. They 2 Key is slanting more to the left while the 3 Key more to the right.
Similar deal with the Left Ctrl Key. I don't use it as much but it has started sitting askew as well. The F Key as well is now sitting at a lower place than the rest of the keys surrounding it.
It seems like the most often used keys are sitting lower as compared to other keys and this is somewhat disconcerting. I feel like this keyboard will not last as long as it should. Also for being a "Gaming" Keyboard it should outlast my budget keyboard which was basically a $4 keyboard and it is still serving me great after 4 years of heavy use.
Also when you tap the keyboard, some of the keys jiggle. All of this combined makes me feel like this keyboard will not last too long.
LTU: 4/10
CONCLUSION:
I had high hopes for this keyboard when I un-boxed it. However over time, I feel less and less pleased with my buy and were it not for the sale, I would not recommend anyone else buying it. The options are good, the software pretty easy to use however, I am less than pleased with the rest of the things. Specially the price point at which it is sitting (US$ 59.99 on NewEgg) it competing against Thermaltake, ROCCAT, SteelSeries and that is a challenge it is definitely losing.
Final Score: 23/40
I wish I had read this article few days ago...
ReplyDeleteI bought the same keyboard and I'm greatly disappointed. Even though it's somewhat good for gaming, it's awful for typing. The keys are WAY TOO SENSITIVE! It happens while typing to touch (not press) a button next to the one you are actually pressing, which is ok.... on a normal keyboard. With this peice of junk I have to edit ever 2nd word I type or I just have to reduce my typing speed to 1 word/minute -_-
And I still wonder why they skipped from G7 to G9?!
Hey there.
DeleteYeah I am facing pretty much the same problems here. Though my keys maybe a little less sensitive than yours are, still there are way too many mistakes for my liking!
I have no idea what is up with the G8....