Gigabyte GK-K6800 Keyboard Review

Conclusion

When it comes to keyboards, run-of-the-mill units are a dime a dozen. However, the Gigabyte GK-K6800 bucks that trend. It looks like a million bucks, has a surprisingly tactile feel to the keys, is priced well and even comes with the little extra features which you don’t think you need until you trying going without them. Even better than its general day to day usability is the fact that it doesn’t take up a heck of a lot of room on your desk.

Gigabyte did not get everything right and that is unfortunate as this one really has the potential for greatness. The biggest issue is the underlying technology. The K6800 is a membrane keyboard and while the technology has been refined a heck of a lot since the bad old days, the fact remains that units with this technology are known to have a shorter life expectancy than their mechanical cousins with only 5 – 10 million key presses. This may sound like a lot and in many ways it is, but compare this to the older mechanical keyboards which are still going strong after decades of (ab)use along with tens of millions of key strokes. This keyboard will last years but we highly doubt many will still be alive and working in a decade. We truly wish Gigabyte had gone with mechanical switches or a technology which has a half life longer than your typical CFL bulb.

For many people this is a non-issue, as they will simply buy a new keyboard with every new computer. If you fall into this category, you can ignore the above issue as this keyboard is still a very nice keyboard to use. As we said earlier, this keyboard does have the potential for greatness but its inherent limitations do not stop at the tech used. For gaming usage, this keyboard can be considered only good enough for casual gamers and while this is also a non issue for many what is NOT an minor issue is the lack of customizability. The physical layout of the K6800 has plenty of room for additional macro keys at the top area above the function keys. Heck, if Gigabyte had included a small row of macro keys here it would explain the reason for the small F keys. As it is, we were left wanting even more from this keyboard.

In the end, only you can decide if this is the right keyboard for you. It does have a lot going for it and it is stylish as heck. If you are not interested in setting up your own macro keys and won’t even miss them or if you are not interested in your keyboard lasting longer than your computer then this keyboard may just be the perfect fit for you. It even does quite well with multimedia functions. For everyone else, hopefully a future model will eliminate some or all of these issues and annoyances.


Pros:

- Stylish good looks
- Price
- Volume adjustment WHEEL
- Doesn’t take up a lot of desk real estate
- Surprisingly responsive and tactile response for a membrane keyboard


Cons:

- Life expectancy is years not decades
- No additional macro keys
- Less than optimal gaming keyboard
- Small function keys
- Membrane technology