By Jason Vaught
Manufacturer: Zalman Tech Co, LTD
Product Name: Mechanical Keyboard ZM-K900M RGB LED
Model Number: ZM-K900M
UPC: 823884201864
Price As Tested: $77.99 (Amazon | Newegg)Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Zalman.
Zalman, the once king of aftermarket CPU coolers, has added another keyboard to their Z-Machine line of gaming keyboards. The ZM-K900M is a gaming mechanical keyboard featuring Kailh blue switches with RGB illumination and a slew of lighting effects.
What is the main reason to spend money on a “gaming” mechanical keyboard vs a regular keyboard? With membrane based gaming keyboards, your purchase depends mainly on features that you can only utilize during gameplay. But with a gaming mechanical keyboard, your priorities in performance to value are more broad. You’re looking for a long life keyswitch that offers tactile feel and a comfortable typing experience as well. This is what we should all look for in a gaming mechanical keyboard, does the Zalman ZM-K900M live up to their own expectations? We’ll find out in this article for Benchmark Reviews.
The Zalman ZM-K900M is marketed as a gaming mechanical keyboard that features RGB lighting effects and software free customization. It also features gaming profiles, as well as legacy support for PS/2 connections. It’s worth noting that when using the PS/2 connector, you retain full use of the RGB lighting.
Here is a straight on view of the Zalman ZM-K900M. It features single shot abs keycaps (not a plus) and a somewhat minimalist design. No dedicated macro keys here, but the keyboard does feature macro support, and without the use of software (a plus for some).
The side view of the K900M reveals a standard keyboard stagger along with a tunnel for cord routing/management.
The braided cord attached to the underside of the K900M is not removable. This is unfortunate for some, specifically those who like to travel with their mechanical and find a removable cord to be a convenience. On the other hand, given the intermittent connectivity issues that can sometimes plague detachable cord keyboards, it might be a bonus to have a more secure, permanent solution.
The ZM-K900M utilizes Kailh blue switches. Similar to Cherry blues, the Kailh blues have the same tactile bump, but require about 10 grams more actuation force.
And of course, the ZM-K900M features status lights for num lock, caps lock, scroll lock, windows key lock, and Z light that indicates macro recording and utilization.
The Zalman ZM-K900M comes standard with RGB lighting and lighting effects. All the lighting effects are controlled without the use of software, but rather key combinations on the board itself. The ZM-K900M features 13 preset backlight effects including Splash, Rain, Blossom, Christmas Tree, EQ (music reactive) and more. The EQ mode is the most unique, a video showing how it works can be viewed here.
The ZM-K900M features individually lit RGB keys that have a clear housing. Although Zalman’s website shows the housing to be black, they are in fact clear, which is a bonus due to the increased light spread.
The FN or function key showcased above, will be your best friend with this keyboard. With this key, you control all lighting, macro recording, volume, and any other function or effect you wish to achieve with this keyboard. There are 3 additional shortcuts that aren’t marked on the keys. FN+G opens Google, FN+Z opens Zalman’s webpage, and FN+B opens Bing (for what purpose, I have no idea).
The ZM-K900M features some of the more common shortcuts, such as search, mail, internet, desktop wallpapers, and my computer. Why they used the dreaded internet explorer E for the internet, I’ll never understand. Below the F keys, you see some of the LED modifiers and lighting effects keys. Through the use of the FN key, you can select your preferred lighting mode from this row.
Further down the keyboard, we see some more F key shortcuts: media player, volume decrease, volume mute, and volume increase. We also see more the of the lighting effect keys.
When utilizing the PS/2 connector, you can set the repeat rate with the F9 through F12 keys. I don’t recommend changing from the “normal” setting when gaming, as you’ll have some undesired gameplay issues.
The best way to test any keyboard is to simply use it. With the Zalman ZM-K900M Gaming Mechanical Keyboard being equipped with Kailh blue switches, I also tested it for typing comfort. The ZM-K900M was tested for an overall period of 30 hours. The programs and games that were used during testing, regular Windows and browser use aside, include: Adobe Photoshop CS6, Rainbow Six: Siege, Battlefield 1 (beta), and Killing Floor 2.
- Motherboard: MSI X99A SLI PLUS LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99
- System Memory: HyperX Savage 64GB (8x8GB)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-5930K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 2011-v3
- Audio: On-board
- Video: 2 x XFX Double Dissipation R9-290X (4GB) (Crossfired)
- PSU: Seasonic 1200W Platinum
- Monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2412M IPS 24″ x 3 @ 5760×1200
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
The Zalman ZM-K900M performed very well during gameplay. Regretfully, I didn’t play a game that would properly utilize macros, but I did set up some simple macros for use within Adobe Photoshop CS6, and those worked very well with no issues. The only issue I had with this keyboard was the keycap feel and how light the overall board was. This may not be a deal breaker to most, it certainly isn’t for me, but some people would find it undesirable.
As for typing, the Kailh blues performed as well as my daily driver Cherry MX Blues. I couldn’t really notice the difference in actuation force, but since I generally type with heavy fingers, I wouldn’t necessarily be the best judge of slight differences in actuation force.
Overall, the Zalman ZM-K900M is a fantastic mechanical keyboard for it’s price. With it’s plethora of lighting effects and features, this keyboard far outshines other mechanicals in it’s price range. It lacks USB ports, and separate, dedicated macro keys, but it still performs well as a gaming keyboard.
In terms of performance, the ZM-K900M performed above my expectations. The keyboard not only has many customization options, but it also has macros, profile support, and even game key mode support. Game key mode is where the keyboard has pre-defined keys already lit for several different games and game types. The games profiles that are pre-loaded are Counter Stike, DOTA2, LOL, Starcraft II, FIFA Online, Sudden Attack. The pre-defined game types include: FPS, MMO, MOBA, and RTS.
Appearance wise, the K900M has a nice, minimalistic feel about it. Granted, the numerous specialty key markings for the various lighting profiles and effects does retract from this feel, it still has a minimalistic vibe about it. The lighting is bright and even. The keycaps are uniformed and the font on the keys is easy to read and aligned uniformly.
Construction is where I had to mark off some points. The keyboard just doesn’t feel very tough like it’s mechanical brethren. The keycaps were tight on the Kailh switches, but they’re constructed of single shot ABS. Shingle shot ABS will, in time, get shiny and slick. But, if you take care of them, you shouldn’t have this problem. I, on the other hand, am rough on keyboards as I type with heavy fingers. For my typing style, I prefer doubleshot PBT caps. The beauty of the Cherry/Kailh/Razer “cross” switches is that it is very easy to find replacement keycaps to suit your tastes.
Functionality wise, the K900M performed very well for both typing and gaming. It also functioned very well as a light show on the desk, with it’s various pre-set lighting effects and the very cool EQ mode, this keyboard will get some attention, so I would not recommend it for use at work.
Value is where this keyboard shines, at it’s current price of $77.99 (Amazon | Newegg), this mechanical keyboard is a steal. You’ll be hard pressed to find another RGB backlit mechanical keyboard from a reputable manufacturer in this price range. At $77.99, there is no reason anyone should not be able to experience an RGB mechanical keyboard.
I would recommend this keyboard to any gamer who prefers mechanical keyboards, but is in need of macro functionality. I also recommend it for anyone who is interested in a mechanical keyboard, but price has always been a hindrance. At the $77.99 price point, you really can’t go wrong with this keyboard.
+ Mechanical Kailh Blues
+ RGB with 16.8 million colors
+ Macro support
+ Gaming profile support
+ Multiple lighting profiles and effects
+ No software needed
+ Custom profiles
+ Very affordable price
– Kailh switches instead of Cherry (to some this is a con)
– Somewhat lightweight compared to other mechanical keyboards
– No software (to some this would be a con)
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Performance: 9.00
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Appearance: 9.00
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Construction: 8.00
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Functionality: 9.00
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Value: 9.50
