HyperX Alloy Origins Core – Tenkeyless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, Software Controlled Light & Macro Customization…

This keyboard feels really nice to type on. Its keycap it uses is in between a MX Red and a MX Brown; I like both switches and this is a perfect balance between the two. The brightness with the lights gets pretty bright but not overwhelmingly bright.Now the drawbacks, the software for the RGB illumination is super bad. One, you have to download it from the Microsoft Store, and have it run in the background constantly. You’re also extremely limited on what you can customize; its nowhere near as good as Corsairs iCue or Razers Synapse customizations. Just recently, HyperX pushed an update that removed effects for you to use.Overall its a decent keyboard for the price.

I’ve only had the keyboard for a couple of weeks but so far I like it better than the broken 2 year old Corsair K70 it replaces. The tenkeyless keyboard I purchased has more weight than the full size K70 and as a result stays put when gaming. The key strokes are smooth and not excessively loud. With the ability to save three profiles to the keyboard I do not need to keep any control software running in order to keep my current color scheme or select an alternate. For the more sophisticated user the NGENUITY software allows for additional profiles. I found the HyperX NGENUITY software to be easier and more intuitive to use than iCUE. The complaint that people needed a HyperX id to use it has been corrected in the latest so a user can log in as a guest. If I were to have one improvement that would be to add a pass-through USB port to the backside. All in all I am satisfied with the keyboard and supporting software.

I shopped tenkeyless keyboards for a while, trying to ensure I got the same quality of board I’m used to. Unfortunately this is the one I pulled the trigger on.Now, the keyboard itself seemed nice. The keys felt good, the board had a nice weight, it worked when plugged in, and the glow was a good color and brightness. What didn’t work was the software.See, the board doesn’t have its own controller loaded. Weird, right? I thought so, too. You have to go to the manufacturer website and download an external software in order to control the RGB. Poor decision number one. The software isn’t actually on the site, though. It’s on the Microsoft store. Poor decision number two. I was already worried, but I had just blown a hundred bucks on the board, so I played along. The Microsoft store apparently doesn’t allow downloading this app with a work account, though, even though this was a work machine and I have used my work account to download other apps. That’s the kind of issue you risk when you use an unaffiliated third-party provider to host a crucial component of your product. So I had to create a new account using a personal email just to try and get the lights on this keyboard working. If this is starting to sound like more work than a keyboard should require, you and I are of the same mind. But again, it seemed like a nice board, so I REALLY wanted to get it working. I made an account with Microsoft, who I never expected would be involved in my transaction with HYPERX, yet here we are. After jumping through all of Microsoft’s silly hoops I had the software, but it didn’t recognize the keyboard. Bear in mind I had been using said keyboard throughout the process written here. It was very much connected and creating letters, but the software failed to recognize it, insisting that I plug in a HyperX device. I Googled fixes, and tried all the recommend stuff. Admin mode, creating a back door in Defender, all that. I’m a software engineer, so I know how to go about all this stuff, but most customers really shouldn’t be asked to learn high-level pc management to produce a workaround for their broken keyboard software. Unfortunately, these fixes had no effect. The software still fails to recognize that the keyboard exists, and so gives me no power over it. By this point we are well past the reasonable effort quota, but I’m stubborn, so I found an old version of the software and tried again. No luck, so then I repeated the whole process on two other computers, just to be sure. When none of my attempts produced results, I gave up and sent the board back. Now I have to wait for a different keyboard from another brand to finish shipping here.If you don’t mind the default rainbow wave effect, and you never expect you’ll want to change it, this seems like a decent keyboard. If you want all features to work as you paid for them, this is not the product for you.

Do not hit the “Add to Cart” button until you read this review! This is an honest review based on my own personal experience using the HyperX Alloy Origins Core keyboard for more than two months. Do not get me wrong, overall, it is a really good keyboard, however, I think it’s worth noting its pluses as well as its problems before you make your final decision and hit the “Add to Cart” button. This keyboard has a lot of functionality; however, it also has a few issues.There are definitely many pros for the HyperX keyboard. In my opinion, it has a lot of functionality and is clearly worth the price. First, the LED lights on this keyboard are really cool! They are individually controlled and allow you to easily change the lighting effects. And believe me, when I say it, these lights are much nicer than you would expect. It is as if you have your own personal mini light show! Second, the more compact Tenkeyless (TKL) size fits nicely on my desk and gives me significantly more room to work with. That means less mess! Woohoo! I would highly recommend this keyboard to anyone who likes the TKL style. Third, the tactile aqua switches are also really nice. Additionally, on the issue of whether you want linear or tactile switches, that will be entirely up to your personal preference. However, a general rule of thumb that I use is if you will be typing documents and gaming get tactile, and if you are just going to use it for gaming only, get linear. Fourth, the all-aluminum body design is sturdier than most keyboards. Fifth, because HyperX frequently updates their software, it provides the user with the latest new features. Sixth, if you are coming from a non-mechanical keyboard it will take some getting used to at first because of the difference in actuation time. However, once you get used to this, it is hard to go back to a non-mechanical keyboard due to all the benefits that come with a mechanical keyboard. Basically, the mechanical keyboard has a better feel to it and is easier to work with than other keyboards. Finally, the removable USB plug is a great feature since it allows you to use custom USB cables for that extra bit of aesthetics.Now for the cons of the HyperX keyboard. The first issue I found was the lack of onboard memory for key trigger effects, however, this has since been fixed. Second, the lack of dedicated media keys was extremely difficult to get used to. In my opinion, this keyboard could be improved by adding media keys. Finally, the NGenuity software kind of sucks! Specifically, during the automatic software updates, it sometimes removes features that you like and want to keep. As a result, just when you get used to a specific feature and without any warning, NGenuity removes it. Basically, the software is slightly difficult to work with, although it does get the job done. Bottom line, the software is definitely not perfect and could be a bit more intuitive. As you can see, the HyperX keyboard has many more pros than cons that should be considered before you hit the “Add to Cart” button. Overall, the keyboard is very good, and I will continue to use it as my main keyboard. For the price, it does it all with a nice compact design to keep your desk clean and uncluttered. If you are looking for a new keyboard, I would suggest taking a look at this one, however, don’t take my word for it, look at all the other reviews online. I hope you found this review helpful. This keyboard has a lot of functionality; however, it also has a few issues to consider before you hit the “Add to Cart” button.

This is a tremendous value for what you get with this keyboard.Pros-linear custom switches-these are pretty much custom Cherry switches with a few tweaks by Kingston-usb type C-full alloy construction on bottom and top-beautiful bright RGB-super satisfying clicks-I knew these weren’t silent, I have not used a cherry switch keyboard that is. To me this is a pro because I want to hear those clicks.-this adjusts in 2 stages of height and the feet are super sturdy-no flex on this board. This could be used as a weapon lol.-price is super good for this as a entry level mechanical and its really much better than other brands….not saying names here.-you can replace the keycaps easily and I would suggest if your spending nearly 100 look into HyperX PBT keycaps in white or black. I chosen black because they look sick without RGB on and the bottoms are white which lets the glow come out.-TKL (tenkeyless) is amazing and I am sold on it now-problems others report I have not had. I have tested this keyboard with frequent use for the last week and no double registered keys. That could be a possible USB problem or cable problem and or motherboard problem and possibly not the keyboards fault.Cons:-software seems slightly limited, but Ngenuity is in beta, so I forgive them and I know it will improve.-keycaps that come with this board are super thin and cheap. If you have already invested this much, you might as well spend a little more and make this type a bit better with better looking and functioning keycaps. PBT doubleshots are thicker and have a better curve which helps for gaming and typing for me.Overall, I only had 2 cons with my review. I don’t think there is anything out there with this much quality build and function for the price. You can go cheaper, but you get what you pay for. Happy gaming!