Nov
Throughout this article, you will find a review of HyperX Alloy Origins Core Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.
While I loved what it offered, there were a few things that did not fit our taste in a mechanical keyboard.
In fact, I am not a fan of soft mechanical keys, and the Alloy Origins we shipped with red switches…
…albeit 80-million click HyperX switches, we prefer tactile and clicky switches.
For us, the second thing is the size and weight. While many are seeking 104-key offerings…
…we fell in love with TKLs long ago due to their lack of number pad use…
…and the fact that we could keep the mouse closer to the center.
They weren’t deal-breakers, but if we were shopping for a keyboard, these are things we look for!
Introduction of HyperX Alloy Origins Core
In addition to the Ducky collaborative keyboard, HyperX announced a new switch…
…the HyperX Aqua switches! As we are used to from red or silver options…
…their tactile actuation does require more force to accomplish than what we would expect from a blue switch.
However, the switch type is not the only change.
We are about to witness a TKL design encased in aircraft-grade aluminum, even sleeker than the Alloy Origins.
Plus, we still get some of the brightest RGB LEDs in the industry, all wrapped up in a cute, little, affordable package.
In a few minor changes, the new Alloy Origins Core becomes the little brother to the Alloy Origins…
…and at this point, it ticks many of the boxes we look for in a mechanical gaming keyboard!
Along with some of the best lighting technology and switches, all packaged in a sleek body…
…there is also the price to consider, and HyperX also hit the nail on the head there.
You might be tempted to try out what HyperX delivers…
…in the more compact Alloy Origins Core Mechanical Gaming Keyboard…
…even if you’re not a fan of mechanical keyboards!
Using HyperX’s specifications, we condensed the chart from the product page down to a manageable size.
The Alloy Origins Core uses the HyperX in-house switches, which are mechanical…
…but more information about them will be forthcoming.
Lighting can be adjusted in four levels of intensity, or it can be turned off as the fifth level.
The MCU houses onboard memory, but the HyperX keyboard provides enough space for three profiles to be customized.
Connectivity is handled with a USB 2.0 cable connected to the keyboard via USC Type-C…
…and out of the box, the alloy Origins Core is equipped with anti-ghosting and NKRO.
LED indicators indicate Caps lock and Game Mode activation…
…there are multimedia keys, and Game Mode has already been revealed.
HyperX shows us that there are two switch options on the RGB version of the Alloy Origins Core…
…HyperX Red or HyperX Aqua, the former being linear, and the latter being tactile.
While we agree with the travel distance and overall travel measurements…
…we do need to address the 45 grams of force for actuation.
As you can see, the HyperX switches are listed at 45g when compared to other HyperX, Cherry MX, and Kailh switches.
This means we are dealing with tactile red switches…
…but in reality it is something else. It isn’t light-weight like you would expect.
Looking at the Aqua switch specifications provided by HyperX…
…we see that the actuation point is indeed 45g, but there is a glaring issue.
The actuation occurs after the tactile bump. In reality, the Aqua switches require about 60g of force to activate…
…which is between the blue and green switches! I
magine these as brown switches that require a few extra grams to pass the tactile bump.
Now that’s out of the way, we can see that the cable is detachable and is approximately six feet long.
At the end of the chart, we can see 360mm width, 132.5mm depth, 34.5mm height, and 900 grams of weight.
HyperX offers free tech support and two-year warranty coverage on the back of the box…
…so we know what the warranty terms are.
Jonathan’s words, before we get to the meat of the topic…
I have owned quite a few keyboards, especially mechanical keyboards.
I had to get another keyboard after my wife took my Logitech G512, my favorite keyboard, except that it wasn’t TKL.
As someone who’s used HyperX gear before, I have their headset and love it, so I decided to try it out.
The software is really easy to use and seems pretty lightweight.
Additionally, you can save three profiles directly to the board, which my G512 couldn’t do.
Overall, I’m satisfied with the purchase.
Let’s jump right in!
Review of HyperX Alloy Origins Core
Hardware specs
- Mechanical keyboard
- Tenkeyless form factor
- Detachable, braided USB-C to USB-A cable (70 inches)
- HyperX Blue switches (80 million keystroke rating
- RGB backlighting (for each key)
- 3 onboard memory profiles
- 100% anti-ghosting and N-key rollover
- Windows compatible software
- Weight: 2 pounds
- Dimensions: 14×5 inches
1. Design and Features
AOC’s compact design is due to its tenkeyless form factor.
There is a matte black finish on both the keys and the body…
…which all-too-clearly shows the dust that tends to collect on the keyboard…
…which is apparent from many of the photographs.
Although this problem is rarely noticed, it’s overshadowed by the amazing RGB lighting…
…a virtual buffet of color, that shines through and under every key.
This keyboard is made of aluminum, which provides a hefty, sturdy feel;
…it won’t bend no matter how hard the keys are pounded.
It has a compact, attractive design that’s meant to be durable.
“They’re rated for 80 million keystrokes, so you don’t need to worry about the keyboard’s performance from dwindling. With that, you know that the Alloy Origins Core can display excellent performance for years to come.”
Keep reading…
2. Typing and Gaming Experience
With this keyboard, you can choose from HyperX-branded Red linear switches, Aqua tactile ones, or Blue clicky ones.
Compared to the Cherry MX Red switches I use in my Corsair keyboard to play games at home…
…the HyperX Red switches feel similar to my fingers.
A HyperX Red switch has the same 45g actuation force as a Cherry MX Red switch, according to HyperX.
But HyperX has reduced actuation (1.8mm) as well as total travel (3.8mm) by 0.2mm.
Cherry MX Reds have distance ratings of 2mm and 4mm.
As far as typing and gaming are concerned, the difference of 0.2mm was not noticeable to me.
You probably won’t either, unless you’re a true elite gamer.
Even then, if you’re looking for a switch with a shorter activation point…
…Cherry’s MX Silver switches have a 1.2mm activation point.
If you firmly believe that a shorter key throw will help you excel in competitive gaming…
…there are better keyboards available.
I was a bit familiar with linear switches, and HyperX hasn’t done anything crazy with the layout…
…so the Alloy Origins Core felt immediately comfortable to me…
…until I reached out with one hand for media controls that aren’t there.
Red switches aren’t the best for typing, but I wasn’t bothered by them as I banged out this review.
I noticed that I made fewer repeated keystrokes when I typed on this keyboard…
…than when I typed on my Corsair keyboard with Cherry MX Red switches.
HyperX also offers tactile (HyperX Aqua) switches with the Alloy Origins Core since the initial launch.
The Aquas also have a shorter 1.8mm actuation than Cherry’s competing Brown switches.
You can feel an actuation bump when pressing the key down, just before it bottoms out.
Despite the craziness of a few Borderlands 3 battles, the Aqua switches are slightly better than the Red switches.
But when I compared them to MX Brown switches I have on a Das Keyboard 4 Professional…
…I couldn’t physically notice the 0.2mm shorter travel and actuation of the Aqua switches.
I noticed that the sound when the keys bottom out on the HyperX keyboard is hollower…
…and that the keys feel softer, as opposed to the keys on the Das Keyboard…
…which have a sharper sound and feel when the keys hit the end of their travel distance.
Go on…
This keyboard now comes with HyperX Blue switches, completing Alloy Origins Core’s mechanical switch offering.
First time we’ve seen these switches, which have 3.8mm of travel, actuate at 1.8mm with 50G of force…
..and should last up to 80 million presses.
These are similar to Cherry MX Blues, which have 2.2mm total travel and 60G of force.
HyperX’s take on a sky-colored switch had less of a plastic-like ring to its clicks and an overall more hollow sound.
The shorter travel of HyperX’s switches again wasn’t obvious when compared to Cherry’s.
The Cherry Blue tactile bump is larger and more substantial…
…which contributes to HyperX’s switches requiring less force to register an input…
…with a pop feeling on the way back up.
The HyperX Blue switches on the Alloy Origin provide a snappy space bar…
…with a satisfying hollow ‘thock’ noise that mimics a cash register.
Using HyperX Blue switches, I experienced a satisfying sound that didn’t quite overpower the game’s audio…
…although teammates who could hear me may disagree.
As tactile switches, the switches were light and easy to press, and the keys snapped back quickly.
Even so, the HyperX Blues aren’t ideal when you have to press a key quickly or repeatedly.
However, when it came to typing, the clicks were delightful and the lighter bump…
…and force required to actuate the switches didn’t slow me down.
The smooth keycaps combined with the Blue switches made heavy typing sessions a pleasure.
Although everyone’s preference is different, I do not believe that the shorter actuation…
…will make a noticeable difference to feel or gaming performance for most people.
For gaming, I prefer the Aqua switches over the Red ones…
…but for typing and other productivity tasks, I still prefer the clicky Blue switches.
I didn’t notice anything odd about the layout of the keys…
…but HyperX has done something that’s visually odd and potentially distracting with the Alloy Origin’s keycaps.
The primary and secondary functions of each key are placed beside each other…
…rather than above and below one another as is typical.
While this won’t bother some people at all, something about seeing a glowing semicolon…
…and colon right next to each other kept distracting me.
While playing a few hours of Borderlands 3, I also put the Alloy Origins through its paces…
…and found it a worthy weapon against the Calypso Twins.
HyperX Red switches felt familiar and responsive…
…(though not more so than Cherry MX Red switches, which I’m more used to).
When my office lights were off, the RGB lighting was arguably too bright at the default maximum setting…
..although it certainly looked vibrant.
As a result, dimming the lumens is as easy as pressing the Function and down arrow keys together.
If you want to watch a movie or just rest your eyes from the constant RGB rainbow…
..you can press FN and F3 together to activate reactive lighting…
…which lights up until you press a key, then fades out a second or so later.
There’s still more…
3. Software
Key combinations can be used to control basic lighting controls.
If you want to customize the lighting of individual keys, add effects, create macros…
…and save profiles (up to three) on the keyboard’s internal memory…
…you need HyperX’s questionably named NGenuity software.
This software, despite its name, works reasonably well and is relatively attractive;
…it lets you choose from ten different lighting effects, tweak the speed and direction…
…and decide whether the keyboard or individual keys are illuminated.
Keys can be reassigned or macros can be recorded and assigned here as well.
I like the look of the software, hate the name, and wish parts of it were more intuitive.
There are, for example, 30 or so presets under the Library tab, most of them based on games.
Every time I clicked one, the lights would flash for a second…
…then return to the previously selected lighting effect–I couldn’t get any of them to stick.
Sum Up!
There is much to appreciate about the Alloy Origins Core right from the start.
The HyperX TKL is the best TKL we have ever used, it includes switches we have never tried before…
…it is built like a tank, and with the new NGenuity Beta software from the Windows Store…
…its customization options are endless! Aluminum frame, exposed switches, a sleeker design than the Alloy Origins…
…and a detachable USB Type-C cable. HyperX paid attention to even the smallest of details…
…ensuring their customers receive an excellent product for very little money.
Conclusion
The HyperX Alloy Origins Core is one of the best mechanical gaming keyboards…
…for those who need a compact keyboard.
Although it has a small form factor, it doesn’t compromise on features, build quality, and performance.
This keyboard is ideal for those who work in small spaces or travel with their keyboards.
Additionally, its software is user-friendly, and we didn’t run into any problems with it…
…which is something we appreciate. A lot of customisation options are available on this keyboard.
However, the most important feature is its performance.
Because it’s quick and responsive, it’s a great keyboard for typing and gaming.
To conclude our review of the HyperX Alloy Origins Core…
…this keyboard has everything you’d need, and we highly recommend it.
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