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Kingston Technology has always delighted players with high-quality HyperX peripherals. Recently, a replenishment happened in a number of popular mechanical keyboards. The HyperX Alloy Elite model has undergone an update, which has acquired bright RGB lighting and additional functionality. Whether HyperX Alloy Elite 2 is ready to win the hearts of gamers who want to get a reliable mechanical keyboard and a bright accessory for their gaming place, we will try to find out in this material.
Specifications
| Model | HyperX Alloy Elite 2 |
|---|---|
| Product page | hyperxgaming.com |
| Connection | Wired |
| Interface | USB 2.0 |
| Polling frequency, Hz | 1000 |
| Type | gaming |
| Number of keys | 104 |
| Additional buttons | 7 |
| Keystroke resource, mln | 80 |
| Key type | Mechanical |
| Switch type | HyperX Red |
| Changing the angle of the body | + (two levels) |
| Built-in memory | + (three profiles) |
| Ability to record macros | + |
| Handling rollovers | NKRO |
| Backlight | + (RGB, 16.8M colors) |
| USB cable length, m | 1,8 |
| Material braids | Nylon braid |
| Built-in display | – |
| Material | Metal / Plastic |
| Color | Black |
| Software | + (HyperX NGENUITY) |
| Removable palm rest | – |
| External interfaces | 1 x USB 2.0 |
| Dimensions (L x W x H), mm | 444 x 174 x 37,4 |
| Weight, g | 1530 |
| OS Compatibility | Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 |
| Peculiarities | Light effects, volume wheel, extra buttons, USB 2.0 pass-through, compatible with PS4 and Xbox One |
| average cost | 4199 hryvnias3569 hryvnias until 08/09/2020 with promo code VJPB-HPRX-AL0Y-4852 |
Contents of delivery
The keyboard comes with a red and white cardboard box. The front side shows the device itself. The key features of the keyboard are marked on the back side with descriptions in different languages.
Cardboard spacers inside the box provide a rigid fixation of the keyboard during transportation.
The package includes multilingual instructions and promotional materials. Additional interchangeable keys are not provided.
Appearance
The design of the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 is easily recognizable as the first version of the Alloy Elite, but without the palm rest. This is a full-size large keyboard measuring 444×174 mm, which has an impressive mass of one and a half kilograms. The design is based on a strong steel frame and a metal top plate, which gives high rigidity and strength.
The lower part of the body is made of plastic. Embossed recesses give additional rigidity. There are rubber pads on the surface of the case and on the retractable legs, which ensures that the keyboard is securely fixed on any surface.
HyperX Alloy Elite 2 completely repeats the outlines of the first version with a smooth, even surface and a separate top block with additional keys, which is separated by a raised channel and a luminous strip.
The keyboard uses a “skeleton” design where the key mechanism protrudes from the surface. The layout is made according to the ANSI standard with 104 main keys, which have an absolutely standard layout. Large Shift and single row Enter are used. Each button is made of two-component ABS plastic and consists of two parts: a translucent bottom and a black top. The surface of the caps is ergonomically shaped with a slight curve. The symbols are engraved, the Latin letters are slightly larger. At the top there are seven additional keys and a wheel.
On the right side there is a standard block of editorial keys and a number block.
In the upper right part there are additional multimedia buttons to control the player and quickly mute the sound, plus a large convenient wheel for smooth volume control. At the very edge on the right are the mode indicators. Due to the bright backlighting of the entire keyboard, these indicators are barely visible, which does not matter exactly until the moment you need to determine whether the numeric keypad or Caps Lock is on.
Three additional buttons are located in the left corner. These are the keys for switching the brightness of the backlight, choosing one of three work profiles and turning on the “Game Mode” to block the Windows button.
The keyboard uses signature HyperX Red switches with integrated LEDs. Their mechanism works with a small force of 45 grams and a pressure of less than 2 mm. The total length of the key travel is 3.8 mm. A resource of 80 million clicks is declared, which is a lot.
For long keys, additional stabilizers are used. Thanks to the mechanisms protruding above the surface, the keyboard can be easily cleaned of dust.
The keyboard has a small angle of inclination in the initial position and with the legs folded back. At the same time, the height of HyperX Alloy Elite 2 is less than that of some mechanical keyboards. Therefore, there is no obvious need for a palm rest, and this element eats up additional space in the workplace, which is constantly lacking.
Small folding legs have rubber inserts for better grip on the table surface.
The keyboard is connected via a thick nylon braided USB cable. Such a massive cable will definitely not fray during prolonged use.
Toward the end, the cable splits into two wires with USB connectors.
By connecting a second connector, you can use the USB 2.0 port on the back of the keyboard. You can connect a USB headset, mouse or flash drive here. In some cases, it is more convenient to connect to the system unit, and saves the length of the wire.
Unlike the old version, which used a purely red backlight, the possibilities of illumination have now expanded. HyperX Alloy Elite 2 has full RGB backlighting with a multi-color palette of 16.8 million colors.
From a visual point of view, everything looks very good. Thanks to the translucent key housing, the backlight looks bright and beautiful, there is a feeling of light flowing smoothly over the keyboard surface. At the same time, the black top of the caps allows you to clearly highlight all the characters, and the backlight does not interfere with working with the keyboard, although high brightness can be a little distracting. If it is located close to the monitor, you will get color glare on the screen. You can quickly change the brightness using the leftmost button in the top row. There are five lighting modes and the ability to completely turn off the LEDs.
Functionality
Multimedia keys (start/pause and change files in the playlist) work only with the active application or with the application that is in the “on top of all windows” mode. The volume wheel changes the overall system volume and affects all applications.
As mentioned above, the keyboard has three hardware profiles with different backlight modes. By default, the “wave” effect works with a multi-colored glow over the entire surface and a smooth shift of colors. The second profile offers single-color backlighting with a gradual change of the same color for all keys. In the third mode, the backlight is disabled and only comes on when you touch the keys, triggering a flash effect in the area around the keys. Changing profiles is carried out by the middle button in the left row of additional keys. The extreme button allows you to quickly change the brightness – five gradations, plus a complete shutdown.
More options for settings are provided by the proprietary HyperX NGENUITY application. The program has two main tabs – backlight settings and key function settings. Here you can change the active glow effects, smoothly change the brightness, speed and tilt angle for visual effects. For example, you can change the direction of a color wave and it will flow smoothly not from left to right, but in the opposite direction. All modes are based on six basic effects. By default, the “wave” effect is applied, which looks the most beautiful. Something similar to the effect of “breathing”. There are also “confetti” with a constant change of color at different points and the effect of a sharp change in the overall color, where green can quickly change to red. The other two modes use hot tones. “Twilight” mode provides for an almost complete shutdown of the backlight with occasional flashes in spontaneous places. There are three visual effects for key actuation if you want to use the backlight for keystrokes only.
It is also possible to assign backlighting to individual keys. Thus, you can highlight the important keys that are in demand in games.
An additional “G” button on the left side of the keyboard blocks the call to the Windows menu so that an accidental press does not minimize the game. In the HyperX NGENUITY menu, you can select additional blocked combinations: Alt+Tab, Alt+F4, Shift+Tab, Ctrl+Esc.
The “Keys” tab allows you to reassign the functions of any button from the main group of 104 keys. You can change its direct keyboard function, assign mouse buttons to it, bind certain multimedia commands or Windows key combinations to it (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, etc.). In the column “Macrocode” you set any complex combination of buttons and actions for the desired key.
The program allows you to save many software profiles with individual settings and write settings to the keyboard memory in one of three hardware profiles. Therefore, having once configured the keyboards to suit your needs, you can save the settings and then use the keyboard with any system or PC.
Among the additional features, it should be noted the HyperX memory backlit synchronization function. To do this, it is enough to mark one item in the HyperX NGENUITY settings.
In addition to PC, it is also compatible with PS4 and Xbox One consoles.
Ergonomics and testing
The keyboard has a rigid, durable case that can withstand any load. And if you are an emotional player who can make great efforts during heated virtual battles, you can not be afraid for the integrity of the hull. Thanks to the tenacious rubber feet and the large mass, the keyboard adheres securely to any surface and does not slip on it.
The skeleton design makes the keyboard easy to clean. Dust and debris will not clog under the keys and can be easily blown off the surface.
Since the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 uses a standard layout, there is no need to get used to any design nuances. You just change from any other keyboard and work comfortably. The lack of a palm rest can be considered a controversial point, but this saves free space. The side arrangement of additional keys can be considered convenient – you can quickly reach them. It is worth noting a pleasant smooth volume control.
The HyperX Red switches are fairly quiet compared to standard mechanical switches. The usual clicking is certainly present, but it is much less with a soft partial pressure. The switches themselves provide a quick response to your commands thanks to a partial actuation.
Having an additional USB port right at your fingertips is a definite plus. But since it is hidden on the back of the keyboard, you will have to find it by touch.
The main impression is a spectacular backlight with beautiful color transitions and the ability to fine-tune.
The keyboard handles all keystrokes properly, supporting NKRO. If you use a lot of keys in some intense game moment, all commands will definitely work.
conclusions
HyperX Alloy Elite 2 combines the benefits of the original Alloy Elite with improved backlighting. The manufacturer took the reliable rigid construction of HyperX Alloy Elite and added a bright backlight with translucent keys. This is a quality device for comfortable work and a stylish bright accessory for a gaming PC. Built-in profiles and wide software settings allow you to choose the best backlight mode for yourself. It is possible to remap keys and create macros. HyperX Alloy Elite 2 meets all modern requirements, being a good candidate to buy if you need a bright gaming keyboard with a quality design.
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