HARDWARE REVIEW

SteelSeries Apex M800 Review

by Luke Walsh, July 20th, 2015

What is popular in the gaming hardware scene at the moment? Colours, many, many colours. Everything you can buy at the moment has at least 16.8 million colours and the next popular gimmick is key for key illumination. We reviewed the Orion Spark by Logitech which has that option whom alongside the BlackWidow Chroma also features the single key lighting. Much to no surprise the latest keyboard by SteelSeries, the Apex M800 mechanical keyboard, has the same options. But lighting aside how does it stand up in the market?

Standing out in the hardware market is no easy feat and SteelSeries are trying to put some distance between competitors by introducing a new switch. QS1 has 3mm throw depth, a 1.5mm actuation and only requires 45cN of actuation force, which is meant to be smoother and have a 25% quicker actuation time compared to the traditional mechanical switch.

SteelSeries Apex M800’s keyboard layout is fairly minimal with only 6 additional keys and media keys which are built into the F keys. Having used other mechanical keyboards which are fairly space unoptimised it is nice to find a keyboard that has all keys you need but does not take up your whole desk. It does take some time to get used to the media keys which are activated by pressing the SteelSeries key, which replaces the right side control key. When activated the keyboard kindly blacks out every key apart from the media keys which is a useful visual cue probably more so in game than just day to day PC use. The over the top space bar is back again and even though its hard to say if it was ever needed it doesn’t get in the way.

Build wise the Apex M800 is solid, heavy and feels well made more than its original Apex variant but at a price point of £160 it still does have the plastic look of a £40 keyboard. For the price you would expect a more durable casing something that you feel will last you a lifetime. What will last a life time as long as you don’t misplace them are the rubber feet used to control the angle of the keyboard. Much more solid than typical plastic feet you find on pretty much every other keyboard but it would be nice to have a couple more heights for the gamer which truly wants to customise their set up and further justify the high price tag.

Having two additional USB slots on the keyboard is a great addition that was missed in the last keyboard that I reviewed and should be standardised by now. You do have to use two USBs on your PC but you get them back so no loss really. The main cable is 2 metres long and is braided to help stop snagging and protects the cable. The keyboard is not USB 3 which is a shame but is a convenience when charging your phone, using a USB stick or a headset. If you are feeling daring you could even plug in another keyboard.

A small accessory which is a well thought out one is additional keys for MAC users. Replacing the keys will have to be done using your own tools as not key replacement tool is included. The keyboard doesn’t include a wrist rest and with only a slight bit of space at the bottom not having an optional one included for the price is something to be mindful of if you are looking for the support.

Hardware wise the Apex M800 has two processors, one which deals with inputs (key presses) and the other which is for key illumination and effects. This ensures that no matter how bright and beautiful you want to make your keyboard with all the bells and whistles it won’t effect the performance while in game or in Word. With clicking the keyboards is guaranteed for 60 million clicks and has a linear design it won’t have the feel or click noise of other switches like the cherry type. SteelSeries claim that the switches are 25% faster but without being able to test it with other switches out there, what can be said is they are indeed smooth, and quick to respond maybe not enough to significantly up your game but out of all the mechanical keyboards on the market at the moment the Apex M800 has been the nicest to type on as well as the most quietest.

The Apex M800 comes with new software SteelSeries 3 and is the latest focal point for most your products which are SteelSeries branded. The main window has all the products currently connected to the PC and within them are three sections. One allows you to set up the key bindings, colours and lighting affects for each key or selection of keys using a blueprint of the keyboard. Profiles is the next section which enables you to set up different profiles of key arrangements, macros and colours for different games. SteelSeries Engine can also swap profile on the fly once you boot up the game making it easier without having to remember to change for each game. Gamesense is the last tab which brings more of your game into the keyboard visual spectrum.

Illumination being popular SteelSeries have not left anything out, different lighting effects including waves, steady colours, reactive (which fades from one colour to another) and colour shifting. Variations and possibilities are not limited with the colours and the design, a gamer who wants to match any colour or set up specific visual for games and macros will have great use with the SteelSeries Engine.

With macro recording it is fairly simple, you click the key you want and record the presses you want and its set. If you want to use standard keys you can select them from groups or if you like you can disable a key entirely.

Testing out the keyboard with Battlefield 4 brought out how smooth the keyboard is, without any click or noise, it felt completely different than other mechanical keyboards and does stand up to its name of being reactive. There was never a point where there was an delay or lag and movement in game I was always in control. Keys did in the heat of the action feel too close together which from time made me feel unsure of key presses. The W key does have bumps to help distinguish the key location but not some that is every noticeable.

Overall the SteelSeries Apex M800 is a nice keyboard. The price point at £160 might be a turn off for a lot of gamers which aren’t willing to pay for the higher end keyboard but the dedicated few will see the benefits of this keyboard. The low profile design and QS1 switches make it really nice to type on and use in game and the SteelSeries Engine has just the right amount of customisation to do exactly what you need from the keyboard with no extra frills. The lack of wrist support is something that it noticeable over long periods of time but if you have a spare support and can afford the price it is a keyboard that stands out in the market of mechanical hardware.

The SteelSeries Apex M800 is smooth, highly responsive and a strong contender for king of the mechanical throne.