CM Storm Quickfire Rapid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review W/ Pics

[trickedaccord92]

So as some may know I bought a new keyboard which I received today. The CM Storm Quickfire Rapid w/ red cherry switches. This is my first actual mechanical gaming keyboard which obviously means it is also my first experience with red cherry switches. I took pictures as I unpacked and set it up which I will include in this review.

I will update this thread again in a week with my final thoughts after spending a week playing multiple games with it such as Battlefield 3, Diablo 3, and maybe MineCraft if I can convince my wife to let me go ahead and buy it lol.

Now lets get into the review. I ordered the keyboard yesterday from Amazon and requested next day delivery. It was shipped FedEx and arrived today around noon. I carefully opened the box and found it to be well packaged which made me feel good.



I carefully removed the box from the shipping package and my first impression was "Wow, this thing is heavy!" but I wasn't sure if it was due to contents packed with the keyboard or the actual keyboard itself.



I continued by opening the keyboard box to find the contents neatly and securely packaged which reassured me of the quality of the company I bought from.



The first thing I noticed is the PS/2 adapter included with this keyboard. I want to take a minute to talk about USB vs PS/2. There have been numerous studies over the years on the USB vs PS/2 speeds and they have all shown that PS/2 is significantly faster. Some would argue that 30-60 ms speed differences are hardly noticeable but I assure you after typing with both USB and PS/2 on this keyboard it is noticeable. I even had my wife come type on it without explaining how it was connected and her first reaction was why is it so FAST?!?! So for the truly competitive gamer it is nice that they included the adapter with the keyboard.



Moving on I removed the white protective sheeting on the keyboard and picked it up and it honestly feels like it is the heaviest keyboard I have ever personally had in my hands. Now I know it isn't the heaviest keyboard on the market and to be honest it is actually lighter than my Logitech G110. I think that it just feels like it is heavier because of it's compact design. It weighs in at 2.5 Ibs. It feels very solid and sturdy though so I wouldn't recommend raging on this keyboard it might just hurt you instead lol.



Next I flipped open the rear cardboard flaps in the package to find the USB plug and a small baggy. This keyboard is desined to be compact and easy to transport and I don't know about the rest of you but I hate wrapping my cord around my keyboard whenever I pack it up to move it. By making the cord removable it allows cleaner, safer, and all together better transportation of your keyboard to LAN parties or those who travel regularly. There were also extra red W,A,S,D keys to make relocating your fingers faster for those people who have to shoot a glance at their keyboard when repositioning their fingers and a couple of CoolerMaster keys for replacing win keys if you want. Also in the bag is a plastic key puller which allows you to pull the keys properly and with ease.



Placing the keyboard on my desk in front of my Logitech G110 the size difference is amazing. Now the CM Storm Quickfire Rapid does not have a number pad so If you regularly use a number pad you should consider the CM Storm Quickfire Pro which is pretty much identical to the Quickfire Rapid but is a full size keyboard with number pad. Also this keyboard does not boast all the bells and whistles of some other keyboards which have all kinds of programmable macro keys. However I knew this when I bought it. I mostly play FPS games these days and honestly don't need all the extra keys cluttering my keyboard. So, if you play mostly MMO's or use a lot of macros you may want to consider a larger keyboard with more options.



Moving on. I decided to go ahead and replace the W,A,S,D keys with the red keys mainly to see just how easy it is to replace the keys. I must say it took maybe 30 seconds to replace all 4 keys. It is that easy. Also I would like to point out that all of the keys are removable so if you are like me and hate when something drops between your keys and you spend hours trying to get it out removable keys are awesome.



After all of this I finally decided to hook it up to my computer. First with USB which took a minute or so to locate and install all of the proper drivers. My initial reaction to typing on this keyboard was this is going to take some getting used to. The red cherry keys honestly have so little resistance I sometimes think I missed a key but in reality it registered the key stroke. The feel of the light mechanical click as you press the key feels really crisp and smooth. I didn't notice any real difference is speed between my Logitech g110 and the Quickfire Rapid connected through USB.

I then switched to the PS/2 adapter and restarted my computer. I have always felt that ms differences in speeds were not noticeable and people who claimed they were were just trying to justify the extra money spent. I am now one of those people that will tell you the difference is noticeable at least in a keyboard. Typing feels lightening fast and though I haven't tried it in a game yet I am quite positive the difference will be noticeable.

I am honestly happy with my purchase thus far and can't wait to try it out in game.

Check back next weekend when I share my thoughts on in game uses and performance.

[trickedaccord92]

reserved ...

[deevergote]

What makes it a gaming-specific keyboard? I can see how the big one it's replacing would be such, with all the extra keys, but this is a pretty stripped down keyboard by the looks of it!

Removable keys are cool, though. I hate when I'm playing a game that uses WASD for movement, and I shift my position... then I have to focus on the board again to find WASD (perhaps not as much now, but before I was as accomplished a typer as I am now, it was a pain.) It'd be nice to be able to do what you did with the red!

[reklipz]

That's a good question Deev.

The only "gaming" features I see this keyboard has going for it are:

1. The red colored WASD keys.
2. The fact that it's USB, which gives it a 1 kHz poll interval. (Keypresses/releases are updated 1000 times a second)
3. n-key rollover. What this means is that the keyboard can sense each individual key independently, so when you are holding multiple keys, all keys are registered. Most keyboards not specifically designed with this in mind can only register so many keys at a time, in certain combinations. This is referred to as ghosting and blocking. NKRO solves that, but is expensive.
4. A "game mode" that disables the super key ("windows" key, for the uninformed). Pressing this key in Windows operating systems will bring up the start menu, which is annoying when playing fast action games.

That's all I can see. The red WASD keys are pointless IMO, because I don't look at the keyboard when playing anyway. The USB 1 kHz poll interval is also moot, because any USB keyboard has this benefit. NKRO is very, very nice, when you need it. I personally have never had an issue playing modern games with non NKRO keyboards. The "game mode" switch is handy, though I never use it on my current keyboard either.

The real beauty of this keyboard, which has nothing to do with "gaming" or not, is the CHERRY brand MX switches. They are mechanical switches, which have a completely different feel from the membrane based switches everyone is used to. Did you ever have an original IBM Model M keyboard? Do you remember the tactile feel of the keys, and notice how different modern consumer keyboards are? Some folks prefer this mechanical feel; I know I do! I don't see it as a defining characteristic of a gaming keyboard, though. In fact, the "gaming" tag is usually associated with extra programmable macro keys, which as mentioned, this keyboard is lacking. I chalk this up to Cooler Master trying to sell a product. I tend to not trust brands that blanket target consumer product lines; cooler master makes everything from PC power supplies and cooling solutions all the way to keyboards and mice now. I'd rather stick with a manufacturer that specializes in a specific product. Just my $0.02.

Great looking keyboard though! I hope you like it, .

[trickedaccord92]

What makes it a gaming-specific keyboard? I can see how the big one it's replacing would be such, with all the extra keys, but this is a pretty stripped down keyboard by the looks of it!

Removable keys are cool, though. I hate when I'm playing a game that uses WASD for movement, and I shift my position... then I have to focus on the board again to find WASD (perhaps not as much now, but before I was as accomplished a typer as I am now, it was a pain.) It'd be nice to be able to do what you did with the red!

Mechanical red cherry switches offer nearly no resistance and instant response in game. Basically as soon as you touch the key it responds. Which for a competitive gamer means the difference between winning and losing.

Also with anti ghosting and NKRO it will register every key stroke even if you press every key on your keyboard at the same time. Basic keyboards will only register up to 3 keys mashed at the same time. So for a FPS player that is running forward and to the left while shooting and throwing a grenade then spinning to knife an enemy it is a beautiful thing when everything responds as it should.

This keyboard is designed to offer everything a competitive player would need while offering a compact design for LAN parties and/or travel.

As I pointed out in the review though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of my Logitech G110 which was a great keyboard for MMO's with all of the programmable G keys but the actual performance of the Quickfire keyboard is amazing.

[trickedaccord92]

That's a good question Deev.

The only "gaming" features I see this keyboard has going for it are:

1. The red colored WASD keys.
2. The fact that it's USB, which gives it a 1 kHz poll interval. (Keypresses/releases are updated 1000 times a second)
3. n-key rollover. What this means is that the keyboard can sense each individual key independently, so when you are holding multiple keys, all keys are registered. Most keyboards not specifically designed with this in mind can only register so many keys at a time, in certain combinations. This is referred to as ghosting and blocking. NKRO solves that, but is expensive.
4. A "game mode" that disables the super key ("windows" key, for the uninformed). Pressing this key in Windows operating systems will bring up the start menu, which is annoying when playing fast action games.

That's all I can see. The red WASD keys are pointless IMO, because I don't look at the keyboard when playing anyway. The USB 1 kHz poll interval is also moot, because any USB keyboard has this benefit. NKRO is very, very nice, when you need it. I personally have never had an issue playing modern games with non NKRO keyboards. The "game mode" switch is handy, though I never use it on my current keyboard either.

The real beauty of this keyboard, which has nothing to do with "gaming" or not, is the CHERRY brand MX switches. They are mechanical switches, which have a completely different feel from the membrane based switches everyone is used to. Did you ever have an original IBM Model M keyboard? Do you remember the tactile feel of the keys, and notice how different modern consumer keyboards are? Some folks prefer this mechanical feel; I know I do! I don't see it as a defining characteristic of a gaming keyboard, though. In fact, the "gaming" tag is usually associated with extra programmable macro keys, which as mentioned, this keyboard is lacking. I chalk this up to Cooler Master trying to sell a product. I tend to not trust brands that blanket target consumer product lines; cooler master makes everything from PC power supplies and cooling solutions all the way to keyboards and mice now. I'd rather stick with a manufacturer that specializes in a specific product. Just my $0.02.

Great looking keyboard though! I hope you like it, .

Well said but it is designed without the macro keys because it was designed for easy transportation for players on the go.

They also offer the quickfire pro ... which is the same as the rapid except it offers number pad and partial back lighting

and

trigger with its macro keys for a player in need of the extra macro keys.

Personally I didn't need all of the macro keys or the number pad so I went with the rapid.

[deevergote]

Mechanical red cherry switches offer nearly no resistance and instant response in game. Basically as soon as you touch the key it responds. Which for a competitive gamer means the difference between winning and losing.

Also with anti ghosting and NKRO it will register every key stroke even if you press every key on your keyboard at the same time. Basic keyboards will only register up to 3 keys mashed at the same time. So for a FPS player that is running forward and to the left while shooting and throwing a grenade then spinning to knife an enemy it is a beautiful thing when everything responds as it should.

This keyboard is designed to offer everything a competitive player would need while offering a compact design for LAN parties and/or travel.

As I pointed out in the review though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of my Logitech G110 which was a great keyboard for MMO's with all of the programmable G keys but the actual performance of the Quickfire keyboard is amazing.

Ah, ok. That makes sense now!

Do they have add-on keyboards for the number keys and additional functions that will work as well as one large board?

[trickedaccord92]

Ah, ok. That makes sense now!

Do they have add-on keyboards for the number keys and additional functions that will work as well as one large board?

Not really add on keyboards but you can buy USB number pads if you want them from numerous companies. As I said in my last post they have other versions of the same keyboard but with number pads and/or macro keys for people needing or wanting them.

[Straight Success]

Very informative because I had no clue. I was completely oblivious to the PC gaming world. Well, not completely ignorant, but you may understand what I mean.

I was reading the first post thinking "what's so special about it?" Then I read on, and some questions were answered in later posts.

[reklipz]

Well said but it is designed without the macro keys because it was designed for easy transportation for players on the go.

They also offer the quickfire pro ... which is the same as the rapid except it offers number pad and partial back lighting

and

trigger with its macro keys for a player in need of the extra macro keys.

Personally I didn't need all of the macro keys or the number pad so I went with the rapid.

Yeah, I apologize, I wasn't trying to knock on the keyboard. I like the fact that it's small and transportable, but that's not a need for myself. The laser etching on the keys is a great feature, and I like the stylish black/red combo.

I have a Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard (the first version, with the flip up LCD screen and the 3 paged 18 macro keys). It's HUGE! I love it, though. I never use the macro keys either; I don't know of any games where they are useful other than certain MMOs; there's no way to apply them in Guild Wars 2, which is the only MMO I own. I'm more of an FPS guy, meaning I care more about my mouse and surface than the keyboard; Quake III Arena all the way!


I think this will probably be my next keyboard purchase when this one dies:
http://www.daskeyboard.com/model-s-ultimate/

[trickedaccord92]

Yeah, I apologize, I wasn't trying to knock on the keyboard. I like the fact that it's small and transportable, but that's not a need for myself. The laser etching on the keys is a great feature, and I like the stylish black/red combo.

I have a Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard (the first version, with the flip up LCD screen and the 3 paged 18 macro keys). It's HUGE! I love it, though. I never use the macro keys either; I don't know of any games where they are useful other than certain MMOs; there's no way to apply them in Guild Wars 2, which is the only MMO I own. I'm more of an FPS guy, meaning I care more about my mouse and surface than the keyboard; Quake III Arena all the way!

I think this will probably be my next keyboard purchase when this one dies:
http://www.daskeyboard.com/model-s-ultimate/

LOL I fell in love with the Logitech keyboards when I played WoW and I used 8/12 G keys I had but now that I don't play MMOs anymore I just have no need for them.

Some of the keyboards out today are insane! LOL. For example the Razer Deathstalker http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyb...alker-ultimate with built in LCD in the keyboard.

I just wanted to take the same approach to this keyboard as I like my cars .... clean and simple ... lol.

That Das keyboard is nice!

[JoshM]

Should have got it from MechanicalKeyboards.com. I use to have that exact board, but upgraded to a Ducky. (Brown MX / Blue LED)



(shitty phone pic)

[trickedaccord92]

Should have got it from MechanicalKeyboards.com. I use to have that exact board, but upgraded to a Ducky. (Brown MX / Blue LED)



(shitty phone pic)

We need a like button for posts. Nice looking board!