Functional Usage/Software
Practical testing
The KM360 comes with Cherry MX Red switches. The keyboard doesn’t have any companion software, but you can adjust the brightness of the backlight (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). To do so, you press the FN key and the up or down arrow. Even 25% casts a subtle light on the keys.
Cherry MX Red is a light, linear switch. The space bar is the only key that doesn’t use it and has a Cherry MX Black one instead. That switch type is also linear, and has the same travel and actuation point, but it requires more force to actuate (60g versus 45g), and has a stiffer feel.
The keys are pretty quiet, as you’d expect from the Red switches, so it’s not an issue during nightly sessions of gaming or typing (also my computer is not close to the bedroom). Each keycap row is designed with a different lift and angle to let your fingers type comfortably and naturally.
We have tested the KM360 over many hours of typing and gaming. When I played games like Starcraft 2, PUBG, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: WW2 or even DiRT: Rally, the keyboard responded to my actions quickly, and accurately, but I had to press the keys quite hard. Precision is one of the reasons why people buy mechanical keyboards, and yeah - you won’t miss it here. The option to record macros may come in handy from time to time. While we’re at it, I should mention that you can’t do that on the fly, and unfortunately there are no dedicated macro keys. There is no dedicated key for changing profiles either, and that’s a pity as well.
The keyboard passed an N-Key rollover test, without any hiccups. The system used in the G.Skill KM360 works seamlessly up to a maximum of over 40 successive keypresses, but that’s not a problem right? (even if you had 4 hands). The ergonomics are great, although I’ve missed the wrist rest sometimes. The white lighting is not even slightly annoying in the dark, but it’s a bit uneven. It’s adjustable in 5 brightness steps (0% / 25% / 50% / 75% / 100%), and you can disable it completely if you prefer. The activation indicators for "Caps Lock", "Scroll Lock", and the "Windows Key" are integrated into the respective keys, with the brightness increasing when the key lock is enabled. I did miss media buttons a little, as they can come in handy at the time, especially the ones for changing volume.
