MSI Vigor GK50 Elite TKL Review – Generic TKL keyboard with a decent approach and various implementation problems

Field test

Now we get down to the nitty gritty. Before the next page is filled with a medium-severe fit of rage caused by the software, we will first test the GK50 ELITE TKL in practice. For this, the usual tests and measurements are carried out and evaluated in the corresponding categories.

 

Writing / productive use / typing feel

Equipped with tactile clicky switches (Kailh blue), the GK50 configured for our test is primarily aimed at frequent typists. I simply love typing on tactile switches and if they also emit an acoustic click, that’s half the battle for me. The blue Kailhs are quite similar to the blue Cherrys, but have a slightly shorter stroke, a slightly lower resistance and a slightly quieter click.

From that perspective, you could actually call the blue Kailh a light version of the blue Cherry switch. Overall, the keyboard is very comfortable to type on, but I would prefer the white box switch any day, which offers noticeably better stability due to its wider “stamp” and also has a more pleasant pressure point for me. The surcharge of $10 would be worth it for me.

 

Gaming

For the gaming test I actually wanted to use Counter-Strike 2 for the first time, but unfortunately Valve didn’t keep their promise to release the game “this summer”. It will definitely be used in the next test, and good old CS:GO had to be used again. In principle, you can of course play games with every keyboard, but for fast games, especially shooters, the linear keys are simply better suited in my opinion, because they trigger faster without tactile resistance and with often shorter triggering distances than the blue switches installed here. I had already tested the red Kailhs (unfortunately not in the box version), which are also available for the GK50 ELITE TKL, in the Sharkoon SGK50 S4 and I consider them to be the first choice of the available switches for gaming. Their typing feel is very close to the red Cherry, which is still one of the most popular switches for gamers today for a reason. In contrast to many grotty Chinese switches, the Kailh red is definitely a solid choice, but the Kailh blue used in the test keyboard is more aimed at frequent typists than competitive gamers.

 

Power consumption

Because there have been USB devices that violate the specification of the port and draw far more power than they are supposed to, we started measuring keyboards some time ago. The inexpensive Chinese gadget can be used to at least roughly assess whether a keyboard sucks more power out of the port than it is actually allowed to. The pain threshold is usually reached when white illumination is set to maximum brightness. For white light, all three primary colors (red, green, blue) of the RGB LEDs have to shine and thus the highest consumption is generated. The GK50 ELITE TKL is very frugal and easily meets the specifications.

 

Sound Check

Of course, the obligatory sound check should not be missing. The blue Kailh switches produce a clearly audible and quite high-pitched click when the “tactile bump” is exceeded. This suggests a rather rudimentary damping of the case and is certainly a matter of taste. I didn’t find the clicking to be overly loud, or rather, it was almost drowned out in the general background noise of the keyboard. Of course, once you’ve stuck your nose, however cautiously, into the world of custom keyboards, your enthusiasm for the acoustics on offer here is somewhat muted. All in all, it sounds like a mechanical keyboard with “clicky” switches – no more and no less.

Normal typing

5 x Space, 5 x Backspace, 5 x Enter

Recorded with the Elgato Wave and its Wave XLR interface.

 

Interim summary

Basically, the rather timid dampening of the GK50 ELITE TKL is noticeable both during typing and sound, and the inexpensive ABS keycaps don’t necessarily contribute positively to the feel. You get what you pay for – and you simply can’t expect more than this from such a high-priced keyboard with a renowned branding on it. The available Kailh switches are well known and even if it is certainly a matter of taste, I would choose the Kailh red for gamers and the Kailh Box in white for frequent typists with the GK50 ELITE TKL. I liked the keyboard’s format, because apart from the US layout with its crippled Enter key, at least all keys are located in the correct position, by which I mean especially the arrow keys and the middle part (Insert, Pos 1, Remove and End, as well as Page up and Page down) – that makes it at least halfway suitable for everyday productive use for such a trimmed format without much getting used to.