A great mechanical gaming keyboard is the HyperX Alloy Elite 2. It has things that most gamers want, like macro-programmable keys and RGB backlighting that can be changed. The proprietary HyperX Red switches make it easy to type and don’t require much force to move. The dedicated NGENUITY software gives you a lot of ways to customize it, but it only works on Windows. The steel plate on top makes it feel solid, but the ABS keycaps feel a little cheap. It has dedicated media keys, which are great if you want to listen to music while gaming. It also has a USB passthrough, so you can connect your mouse or charge your phone. It doesn’t have a wrist rest, so you may get tired of typing on it for a long time.
1. Design
Great build quality. The top plate of the frame is steel while the rest of the keyboard is made out of plastic, including the top row with the dedicated media controls. The volume wheel is nice to touch, but the other media keys feel cheap. It’s strong, and even though it bends a little, most people shouldn’t have a problem with it. The ABS keycaps feel solid, but they also feel cheap and slippery. The keys wobble a bit, but it’s not too distracting.
The HyperX Alloy Elite 2 is a full-sized keyboard that takes up a lot of space on the desk. It’s deeper than the HyperX Alloy Origins because it has media keys on top.
Ergonomics are fine. There is only one incline setting on the HyperX Alloy Elite 2. The feet are sturdy and keep the keyboard from moving around too much.
The keys on the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 are individually lit and have full RGB backlighting. You can change the colors and lighting effects with the help of the software made for that purpose.
There are a lot of extra features on the HyperX Alloy Elite 2. Except for the media keys, every key can be programmed to do a macro through the software. There is a “Game” mode that works like a Windows Key Lock, so you can’t accidentally close your game. The USB passthrough works, but you have to make sure that both USB plugs are connected to the computer.
2. Typing experience
Good touch typing. The keys are spread out, so you won’t hit the wrong one by accident. On the outside, the ABS keycaps feel cheap, but they are solid and don’t move around much. Because the pre-travel distance is longer, it takes longer to type on this keyboard than on others with linear switches.
If you don’t have a wrist rest, you might get tired from typing. Check out the Razer Pro Type if you want to improve how you type.
The HyperX Alloy Elite 2 has linear HyperX Red switches, which are similar to the Cherry MX Red switches on the HyperX Alloy FPS Pro. There is no bump you can feel, and they don’t need much force to work. The pre-travel distance is a bit more than the 1.8mm that was advertised, but this could be because of differences in the way it was made.
3. Software and operating system
At the moment, the HyperX NGENUITY can only be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. The program lets you set macros, change the RGB lighting, and save as many profiles as you want. You can store up to three profiles on the keyboard itself, and you can take those profiles to a computer that doesn’t have the software, like a macOS computer, and use them there. You can use your Windows Live account to get to the cloud sync feature, which is nice because you won’t have to make a separate HyperX account.
All View
Good for programming. The HyperX Alloy Elite 2 has well-spaced keys that make it easy to type. It has full RGB backlighting, and macros can be assigned to almost any key. Unfortunately, the linear switches don’t give any feedback, and if you don’t have a wrist rest, it may be hard to type for long periods of time on this keyboard.
The HyperX Alloy Elite 2 is a full-sized gaming keyboard that is very good. It has more features than some other mechanical keyboards, like a USB passthrough and media keys that aren’t shared with anything else. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a variety of switches like the similarly priced Corsair K70 RGB MK.2, and the proprietary linear switches aren’t great for office use because they don’t provide tactile feedback. See also our suggestions for the best gaming keyboards, the best mechanical keyboards, and the best RGB keyboards.
Both the HyperX Alloy FPS RGB and the HyperX Alloy Elite 2 work very well for gaming and have similar performance. The FPS RGB has a detachable cable, but it can only be used wired. It uses linear switches with much less pre-travel, which makes it feel very responsive, which is great for gaming. On the other hand, the Elite 2 has more extra features, such as a control wheel, dedicated media keys, and a USB passthrough.
