A few months back, we reviewed the Glorious Model D Gaming Mouse and were pretty impressed with it. It is the lightest gaming mouse I’ve ever used and it’s now the only gaming mouse my son uses as he has fully switched to it as his daily. Of course you can’t have a sick gaming mouse without a matching gaming keyboard so a call and now we have the Glorious GMMK Gaming Keyboard to look at, rounding out our gaming setup. The GMMK Gaming Keyboard is a full sized, 104-key, mechanical keyboard that is pre-installed with Gateron brown switches and full RGB backlighting.
DESIGN
The Glorious GMMK Gaming Keyboard is minimal in design. There’s no unnecessary wasted space and it tries to take up as little desk space as possible. It’s a very classic design with very little flash, other than the RGB lights. That doesn’t mean it’s not elegant looking though as it has a really nice sandblasted aluminum face plate that has chamfered edges. That was actually one of the first things I noticed about it. That and also the RED ASCEND key that replaces the usual ESC key on the top left.
Next I noticed the high quality braided cable with gold plated tips. Not only that, the tip came covered with cap that is attached to the cable so you won’t lose it when you remove it. It’s a nice touch touch to keep the ends clean if you are transporting the keyboard a lot.
Lastly, and this is probably very important with a gaming keyboard, the rubber feet. These things are very grippy which keeps the keyboard secure and in place during intense gaming sessions. Of course the weight of the keyboard helps a lot too and this thing has some really good heft to it. This is the opposite of the Glorious Model D gaming mouse and has really good weight to it (2.1 lbs).
The only thing I’m disappointment in with the design is the lack of a pre-built white option to match the white Glorious Model D. It can be custom built however with white keycaps however along with your choice of switches and keyboard size, so that’s another route you can take if you don’t like their pre-built GMMK.
INSTALLATION
Like with most keyboards, this is a straight plug-n-play keyboard. You don’t have to download the GMMK Software, but you’re going to want to if you want to take full advantage of what the GMMK Gaming Keyboard has to offer.
The GMMK Software allows you to adjust the different LED light presets, as well as make your own custom ones. You can also light up only specific keys based on the games you are playing. Not only that, the software also allows for custom macros with three customizable profiles. It’s very simple to use and seems to be quite light weight without taking up a lot of valuable resources. Bringing up the app is very fast which is good. I’ve had some driver software with other keyboards that took forever to open up and update settings. This doesn’t. This just works like it should.
After plugging in the keyboard and installing the software, you should be good to go and ready to play in less than a minute or two.
IMPRESSIONS
I’ve used other mechanical keyboards before and the Glorious GMMK Gaming Keyboard is pretty much what I expected it would be, and that is a very good mechanical keyboard. Build quality is top notch and all the keys have a really good, weighted, clicky feel. The Gateron Brown Switches and actually a fair bit quieter than some other switches I’ve used in the past, like the Red ones, and they seem to be a good compromise between sound and responsiveness. The brown switches still have a satisfying click to them, just not as loud.
Under normal usage, the keyboard has proven to be quite accurate and quick. This isn’t surprising though as that’s what makes a mechanical keyboard so appealing. There’s just something about the feel of a mechanical keyboard that is hard to match.
The only issue I had with the GMMK Keyboard is mainly a cosmetic issue. The top right indicator lights are not labeled and is meant to look more stealth. However I would have preferred if there was some indication of what these lights refereed too. I mean you figure out what they are eventually, so it’s not a big deal, but some kind of icon or something would have been nice above each light.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As it stands, the Glorious GMMK Full Size Gaming Keyboard is a solid choice for those who want a mechanical keyboard. It is very well made and utilized some top notch materials. It pairs well with their Model D Gaming Mouse, especially if you match up both lighting profiles.
I would suggest pairing it with a Glorious Padded Keyboard Wrist Rest which is an option that is sold separately. It’s meant to reduce strain on your wrists and makes long usage more comfortable and less strenuous. Whether you’re a serious gamer or not, I would definitely pair the keyboard up with this.
With that said, the GMMK is a thumbs up for me. The pre-built version is perfect for my needs but if you really want to go nuts with it, you can build your own custom version with different switches and keys. That’s the neat part that Glorious totally lets you do. It’ll cost a bit more, but at least it’s something built to your exact specs.
