Final Word & Conclusion

Asus ROG Strix Fusion 700, RGB Gaming Headset Review - Musical/Song Testing

Final Words

This might well be the shortest review I have ever done for Guru3D. That said, it's a little difficult to elongate a review when - as I said earlier - the products to hand are really only the sum of their parts. The keyboard is a keyboard, and the mouse - aside from a simple to use, if nifty, feature - is a mouse. Making this more difficult is that aside from the objective parts of this review (and there are few), the majority is subject to the same subjectivity curse that affects all peripheral product reviews. With that said, therefore, this will be a relatively short conclusion, but one I will break down into a couple of separate parts.

Aesthetics + Build Quality

These two products are polar opposites of each other, and that much is obvious from the outset. In my opinion, the keyboard looks bloody excellent. It's very typically 'Cherry', in that there is absolutely nothing extra, and that's ok. They're going for a bare bone and minimal style, here, and I think the design team has pulled it off very well indeed. I definitely bemoan the lack of included feet, as I think this would be just that 'bit' extra to make the keyboard a near 10/10 in the design and ergonomics side of things. Without them, I feel like it's missing something. The build quality, however, cannot be doubted. The keys and keyboard deck feel premium, weigh a fair bit, and offer absolutely no flex whatsoever. If I didn't know any better, I would say that the body is cast from a single piece of metal. The keys themselves feel great, actually, and whilst I am sure they are using fairly standard ABS plastic, there is a coating to them that really elevates things. If that sounds a little bit... mad, then please just trust me. Go and use a cheap keyboard with regular plastic, and then go use a higher grade one, and then go use a PBT doubleshot keycap board, and then tell me there's no difference. I will happily wait.

All in all, I have absolutely zero complaints about the visual flair or build quality of the keyboard. Whilst it is by no means for everyone, I think it will do an excellent job when looking at the target market. Certainly, I am not this product's target, at all, but I can at least appreciate the fact that it will be liked by those who it is aimed toward. I personally wouldn't, but that's because I like my mechanical switches too much to go back to a chicklet keyboard, especially if I don't have to. That said, for work, and even a bit of gaming, this product did just fine.

Naturally, the same cannot be said of my experience with the mouse. Whilst I have next to no qualms about the mouse's build quality (though I do have questions over the materials used for the top of the product), the user experience of its shape and overall design left much to be desired. However, that is not the subject of this segment, so I will leave that till' later. Quality wise, aside from the above issue (and that is one I have offered a justification for earlier in the review), I have no problems with how well the MC 4900 is constructed. Weighing it at over twice that of my current Logitech G403, the product feels very solid. There is no 'creak' when I press hard on any part of the mouse, and overall I expect the thing to probably outlive me. We all know that weight does not a good product make, but here there is some comfort in having such an 'active' part of your computer have some reasonable heft.

Visually speaking, though, the mouse isn't great. That is just my opinion, but I think many would agree with me. I have covered why on previous pages, but I don't think there should be any need to make business orientated products so austere/plain looking. Lenovo, for example, manages to strike a great balance between somber/downplayed looks, and quality, with their X1 Carbon lineup of laptops. Even accessories like the Yoga Mouse, whilst obviously aimed at enterprise users, look the part and function well. It can be done, therefore.

User Experience

Take the following with a large grain of sea salt, as the user experience side of things will vary wildly. Overall, I really liked using the KC 6000 keyboard. Sure, I was very happy to go back to my Topre, but that costs £225 and uses the wonderful capacitive rubber dome Topre classic switch. The KC 6000 is 7.5x cheaper and feels just as well built, albeit with a very different typing experience. If I had to use the KC 6000, I would, and wouldn't have a single problem doing so, or adjusting. It types very well, and - tying into build quality - the lack of flex for the chassis, but the softness of the keystrokes, means you have a well-built product that one shouldn't ever get 'tired' of typing on. That is just my two cents, but there really isn't much more to say on the matter.

When it comes to the mouse, then... well, my feelings have already been made clear. Naturally, one must remember that these things are subjective, and those with smaller hands may well find what I'm talking about here to be entirely nonsensical, and I admit that. However, the product is - undoubtedly, for me - an unusual shape, and I do not think this helps matters. What I find most curious of all is that Cherry's design department are clearly capable of making some much more normal or even good looking mice, albeit still mainly aimed at the business or home professional user, rather than just 'the average joe,' or a gamer. Sure, I got used to using the mouse after a while, but that's a little like saying I got used to my hand never quite being 100% comfortable, which is less than ideal when you consider one needs to use these things for upwards of 7 hours a day? Again, I feel like there isn't much that can be said here. I didn't get on with the shape, at all, but your mileage may well vary. I have big hands, for sure, and this will undoubtedly affect the kinds of sizes and shapes of mice I can comfortably use.

Let us, however, circle back around to the mouse's big selling point. Fingerprint security. Everything, read everything that I have said so far with regards to this mouse's potential lack of ergonomics utterly pales in comparison to the importance of data security. I cannot imagine a world in which a modern office considering such a security measure would be put off by 'Some users find them a little uncomfortable.' They wouldn't, and those are the facts.

Final Words

Ultimately, then, do I recommend either of the two products we have here today? In the first instance, we have a keyboard. Here, it is a very easy 'yes.' For around 35 GBP (using a mean, here), you get an excellently constructed and premium feeling slimline board that - in my world - ticks pretty much every single box in terms of usability. Whilst it lacks feet, there are ways around this, and I know just as many people who use their keyboard's lying flat as I do those who use the feet. It's a highly pleasant product to use, and whilst chicklet keys aren't for everyone, this is clearly not a product aimed at either a typist (MX Blues, anyone?) or gamer. It can do both, sure, but just save some extra dollars for an entry-level board with tactile mechanical switches. Simple. Home users, home professionals, modern/creative firms... they're all going to love this, especially as the very design of the KC 6000 fits so well into that 'subtle and minimal' aesthetic. I wouldn't even be put off by the price, as whilst it's certainly a fair bit more money than 'A Keyboard from Company X,' it's sure to be a damned lot better.

Moving on, then. Do I recommend the mouse? I think those who have been reading up until now will see this coming, but it's going to have to be an 'it depends.' Are you a home user who isn't fussed about biometrics? Then skip it. However, I wouldn't be doing my job as a tech reviewer if I didn't at least give some lauding to Cherry, who have taken some initiative in releasing a mouse whose entire 'game' is about security. Sure, it functions perfectly well as a mouse, objectively, but its main selling point is just that. Keeping you, your PC, and the PC's of your company & colleagues secure. The weak link in any section of cybersecurity is, inevitably, the human beings who operate the machines. Whilst you cannot stop people leaving their passwords lying around, and being lackadaisical, you can at least add another layer of protection on your vital data. This is why, therefore, this mouse makes infinitely more sense to larger setups. Home users can, realistically, safely carry on as normal. Password 'vault' services such as Dashlane and LastPass exist for a reason, so use them. The MC 4900 is for enterprises and professionals for whom too high a price cannot be put on the integrity and security of their network. So as a mouse, I don't like the MC 4900. For me, it is far from a good shape, albeit a very well built one. However, as a concept, and idea, it's excellent. I'm not even going to touch on the high price tag, as whilst it is a lot of money to be paying for a mouse with 'one trick,' it's an important one, and the cost of implementing any kind of authentication method into a peripheral that - at most - usually handles some user programmed macros, cannot be easy or cheap to do.

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