In the era of mechanical keyboards, some people are still attached to the good old membrane keyboards as they’re habitual to using them. Keeping this in mind, we bring you the best RGB membrane gaming keyboard in the market – HyperX Alloy Core. Thanks to HyperX India, we were able to get our hands on this keyboard for a while.
Also Read: HyperX Alloy Origins Core review
HyperX is known to be very popular among gamers throughout the world. Products like Cloud Alpha S have blown up the market with their popularity. They have established a good rapport among the gamers and provide all gaming solutions to the users. While gamers have switched on to Mechanical Keyboards, the membrane keyboards still exist and people are still looking to buy those in the market.
Alloy Core is one of those keyboards which defined the membrane keyboards back in the day. While it was the best RGB membrane gaming keyboard earlier, is it a good choice in 2020?
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Let’s find out.
Design
Coming to the design of the keyboard, at first glance, Alloy Core is a pure matt black keyboard and has a unique appeal to it. The size of the keyboard is regular like other membrane keyboards in the market. The key placements are perfect but you need to use them precisely to achieve smoothness. More about the feedback will be discussed later in the post. The top portion has the signature HyperX LED strip which is just below the HyperX logo and the quick access buttons.
Since the keyboard is a little outdated, the size might be an issue in 2020 but if you’re a fan of membrane keyboards and size isn’t a barrier, you’re good to go. The button portion of the keyboards ends with a slope where I had expectations for a hand rest at this price.
One of the major drawbacks of Alloy Core RGB is the weight which is too much considering a membrane keyboard. Traveling with the keyboard might not be ideal in this case.
Behind the keyboard are two clips/legs which can be used to raise the height of the keyboard a little. Since the keyboard is already thick, the legs don’t have much effect on the height. Everything considered you won’t have any issue while reaching all the buttons of the keyboard unless your hands are too small.
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Coming to the cable which is braided and flexible that protects it from any wear and tear damage while using. The keyboard is spill-resistant so you won’t have to worry about destroying it if you dropped a glass of water on it.
RGB Lighting
This is the best part of the keyboard. You get to choose from 5 Lighting modes in the keyboard and you can select either according to your mood. Changing colors is quite simple and direct provided by the company.
There are three buttons on the top left corner just above the RBG strip. Let’s have a look at them below.
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Brightness: The first button is to change the brightness of the colors on the keyboard. Except for the making it all dark, you get two brightness modes in the keyboard.
Color Modes: This button will help you switch between the 5 color modes in the keyboard which is straight forward. The modes range from all kinds of static and Dynamic colors for you to enjoy.
Here comes another downfall for the keyboard. There is no support for NGenuity which means you cannot update or use custom colors on your keyboard. This also affects the custom game button which will be discussed further.
Typing Experience
The keys are not something extraordinary to expect from the Alloy Core. They are just like a regular membrane keyboard but a little quieter. Yes, there is little to no noise while typing from the keyboard which might be an issue for some while good for some. It depends on what you prefer. The key placement was good and like any other membrane keyboard. The only thing that will make you use the keyboard is the RGB.
Sometimes we did notice if your hands are not able to reach the keyboard properly, typing might be harder as they would get stuck. At least that what I felt. This might not be the best but it gets the work done. It was harder in the beginning but after a while, I got used to it and most people will too.
Other short keys are available on the right side of the keyboard. This includes three buttons above the LED strip and four buttons below it. Three buttons are used to control the volume of your system while the other four are used to control the media playing in your system. These keys will save you an ample amount of time making your work even more productive.
Again typing is about personal preference and membrane users wouldn’t have any problems using it as the upgrade is worth it.
Gaming
There’s no difference when it comes to gaming. If you are a regular keyboard user, you won’t notice any major changes in the performance. The smoothness is the same for all the membrane keyboards. However, keep in mind the hardness and keeping your fingers exactly where you want them to be. It can be a little harder reaching for a key far away.
The gaming performance can also be calculated depending on the game your playing. If its a game that doesn’t require accuracy and speed, this would work fine. For fast-paced games, this might not be the ideal keyboard. I had some problems playing CSGO as there was a little delay but since I’m not a hardcore gamer, it was negligible.
While HyperX is marketing for this as a gaming keyboard, this might not be the best gaming keyboard you want. This is a decent RGB membrane keyboard that would work fine for regular users.
Game Button: A custom game button is provided alongside the color filter button on the top left corner. The button is used in-game to lock some buttons on your keyboard while gaming. This will help you avoid disturbance when you accidentally click a button. By default, we found the windows button which didn’t respond in game mode, so that’s a relief.
Is Alloy Core the Best RGB Membrane Gaming Keyboard?
If you’re a membrane freak and focused on budget keyboards, this a decent choice as it beats some of the best membrane competitors in the market. If you’re looking for a proper gaming keyboard, you might want to think twice about it. You can spend a couple of bucks more and get yourself a proper mechanical keyboard from HyperX which will be far better for gaming.
For regular users or normal gamers, HyperX Alloy Core RGB will be a decent choice for the price point we’re dealing with here. If you have a habit of using membrane keyboards and love them, this would be the best choice. The RGB and other features make up for the minor typing issues we faced.
Should you buy it in 2020? It depends on your budget and needs. If you have a budget and no problem with membrane keyboards, you can go for it. If you prefer mechanical, this would be a waste of money. There are other even cheaper membrane keyboards you can look for, for a short period.
Best buy links below.
Also Read: HyperX FURY Ultra RGB mousepad review