ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

By Greg Schepers

Manufacturer: ROCCAT GmbH
Product Name: ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Model Number: ROC-12-851 BK
UPC: 4250288123564
Price As Tested: $169.99 (Amazon | Newegg)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by ROCCAT.

ROCCAT is certainly not a newcomer to providing peripherals to gamers; they’ve produced many models of gaming mice, keyboards, headsets, and even gaming laptops. It is the innovators, like the people at ROCCAT, that continue to keep PC gaming more than merely relevant, and Benchmark reviews is proud to bring you this review of ROCCAT’s first mechanical keyboard; the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. Considering the quality of the entire line of peripherals that ROCCAT has to offer, there is no reason to think that the Ryos MK Pro will be anything but impressive.

The Ryos MK Pro is not the only model of mechanical keyboard that ROCCAT has released. There are two other models, the MK Glow and the MK, each looking almost identical to the MK Pro, but not quite as feature-packed and are, therefore, less expensive. Also, with the Ryos MK Pro, ROCCAT has shown that it will do what it takes to produce a product that will appeal to the masses by making the MK Pro available in four, yes four Cherry MX switches; red, brown, black, and blue. We’ve been provided with the black Cherry MX keys for this review. And finally, the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro comes in 15 different layouts, so anyone in the world should be able to find an MK Pro that suits his or her style. Fortunately, I have been provided with the US Layout.

The features and specifications below are a tangible representation of the effort that ROCCAT put forth in order to provide us with a quality keyboard. For example, each key can be customized with its own backlighting. The backlighting customization on this keyboard is impressive and unprecedented. And, there are features that ROCCAT has developed are not limited to the MK Pro. The ROCCAT Talk feature allows a gamer to take full advantage of the Easy Shift[+] technology when the MK Pro is paired with a compatible ROCCAT mouse.

Features & Specifications

• PER-KEY ILLUMINATION
  insane customization possibilities
• EASY-SHIFT[+]™ BECOMES EASY KEYBOARD
  assign a secondary function to virtually any key
• N-KEY ROLLOVER
  means advanced anti-ghosting
• HIGH-POWERED HARDWARE
  two 32-bit ARM Cortex processors + 2 MB of flash memory
• ROCCAT™ ACHIEVEMENTS DISPLAY
  keep track of your vital statistics
• KEY SWITCHES TO SUIT EVERY GAMER
  CHERRY MX key switchs in blue, black, brown, and red
• SMUDGE-PROOF GLOSSY LOOK
  killer look – with no fingerprints
• INTEGRATED MEDIA HUB
  audio in/out and two USB 2.0 ports
• COMPLETE COMFORT, ROCK SOLID
  jumbo-size integrated wrist rest
• CLUTTER-FREE, SUPER-STABLE SUPPORT
  in-built cable channel and five rubber feet
• ROCCAT™ TALK® – SET BONUS
  get more out of your ROCCAT™ devices
  by combining their functions

Technical Specifications

•  Per-key illuminated mechanical keyboard with 113 keys
• Advanced anti-ghosting with N-key rollover
• Choice of four CHERRY MX key switches
• 3 programmable thumbster keys (T1 – T3)
• 5 programmable macro keys (M1 – M5)
• 94 other programmable keys
• 1000 hz polling rate, 1 ms response time
• 1.8 m rear-exit braided cable
• 1 x audio in, 1 x audio out, 2 x USB 2.0 ports

Additional ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro Information

Dimensions
23.4 cm X 50.8 cm

System requirements
Windows® XP/Windows Vista® 32/64-bit/Windows® 7 32/64-bit
Windows® 8 / Windows® 8 Pro
USB 2.0 port
Internet connection for driver installation

In the package
ROCCAT™ Ryos MK Pro
Quick-Installation Guide